


Reflection

by bbangcore



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Best Friend Joshua, Josh is a conspiracy theory enthusiast, M/M, Referenced Haoshua, brief journey through Seungcheol's life in the first few chapters, you see your soulmate in your reflection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:07:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 35,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27529717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bbangcore/pseuds/bbangcore
Summary: Since he was a child, Seungcheol swore he saw someone in his reflection that wasn't him.What happens when that person disappears?
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan
Comments: 48
Kudos: 137





	1. Chapter 1

6 years old was the earliest age Seungcheol could remember when it happened.

There he was, sat on the tram beside his mother. 

He remembered he was wearing muddy tennis shoes, cuffed jeans, a white turtleneck, topped with that god awful red vest that his mom forced him to wear.

His small feet dangled off of the large seat he was perched in, his big eager eyes staring giddily outside the window.

The sights moved by so fast, and every now and then, little Seungcheol could catch a glimpse of his reflection.

His glossy lips parted in a goofy smile, his expression so full of joy, his skin tan and smooth with youth.

One minute, however, Seungcheol zoned out, his eyes no longer fixated on the movement of the outside world, but rather sat frozen, staring at his reflection.

Seungcheol always did tend to doze off.

Nothing was running through his mind, and his body just remained idle in his seat.

He remembered when it happened.

He swore he didn't blink.

There before him, in his reflection for a split second, it wasn't him.

The boy with big brown eyes and puffy thick hair, wearing that awful red vest, always carrying a grin, Seungcheol did not see.

Instead before him in the window was a different boy.

Short black hair, soft small eyes, and a delicate round facial structure.

He was in clean clothes- completely different from Seungcheol's ugly vest- but the moment happened too quick that Seungcheol couldn't remember exactly what he was wearing.

Seungcheol blinked again in confusion, but in result, the only boy looking back at him in the reflection was just himself.

He swore he wasn't imagining things.

There was no other boy outside of the tram, no other boy near him.

The only person next to him was his mother, and she didn't seem to notice her child staring intently to his own reflection.

Little Seungcheol didn't know how to explain what he saw.

After all, his mom did tell him he had a wild imagination.

As much as Seungcheol tugged on her skirt, babbling out incoherent descriptions of the boy in the window; his mom obviously did not believe him.

She told him it was just his reflection, but he denied, saying there was a whole different boy.

There was no debating with the imaginative young child, so the mother sighed and patted Seungcheol's thick hair.

How innocent he was, how he understood nothing.

The rest of the tram ride, Seungcheol kept thinking of the boy that looked back at him.

There was no explanation for it, and obviously his mom wouldn't understand.

She'd just mistake Seungcheol for goofing off again.

He sat straight back in his seat, mind cluttered, but said nothing else.

His mother was a hard-headed woman and was used to her son's innocent fibs.

He remembered how he pouted, how he adjusted his vest, how he batted his long eyelashes.

Seungcheol recalled every moment of that tram ride.

He just wished he knew who that boy in the reflection was, and why is wasn't him.


	2. Chapter 2

Seungcheol pestered his mom about the incident for the next few days until she eventually had enough of his "imagination."

Of course, he seemingly forgot about that encounter after his mom stopped expressing interest in his little story.

It wasn't until Seungcheol turned 10 when he had another memorable instance like this.

In fact, it was exactly on his birthday. 

He was sitting in the dining room, just him and his mom.

He was never really in contact with his extended family- he never knew why- but remained content with what he had.

Seungcheol remembered he was sitting in the one cushioned chair, his legs not yet long enough to touch the floor, his worn down socks grazing upon the hardwood.

He was perched with a small cake in front of him, the one he always pointed out to his mother whenever they'd go to the supermarket. 

A single pink candle flickered before him, his never-changing wide eyes reflecting with the yellow flame. 

He remembered his mom's tired smile as she sang "Happy Birthday" to him in the quiet room.

He blew out the lonesome candle, and his mom was quick to give him his present before she had to leave the house for her night shift.

His eyes scanned across the holographic silver wrapping paper in which enveloped his gift.

Seungcheol grew up to be a rather wild and impatient kid, so he quickly tore up the paper to reveal his present.

New shoes.

He remembered the exact pair: red and orange ones with Velcro straps and light up soles.

He rushed to hug his mom, thanking her immensely.

If there was something that Seungcheol definitely was, it was endlessly grateful.

He was never a demanding child, and he wasn't raised spoiled either.

He loved his present so much that he promptly ran into the dark bathroom to try the shoes on and see how the lights reflected into the mirror.

Seungcheol strapped the shoes onto his little feet, eager to activate their special touch.

He crawled up upon the counter and pressed the button on his shoes to see them light up.

He was so amazed at the luxury.

He turned his feet all sorts of ways to see every angle of the rainbow flashes in the mirror.

The minute he sat his feet down however, something appeared in the mirror that he hadn't seen in the longest time.

Before him was a boy, but not Seungcheol.

The boy had neck-length, clean black hair.

His eyes were small, gentle, and gleaming with youth.

He had full cheeks, small ears, a slim nose, and taut lips.

Seungcheol very briefly remembered seeing this boy before, thinking it was his imagination back when he was 6, but this time he seemed more grown up.

Seungcheol reminded himself not to blink, for if he did, he was afraid the boy would vanish again.

He stared into the mirror, going nose to nose with the reflection, as the mysterious boy on the other side seemed to do the same. 

Seungcheol hastily brought his hand up to the mirror, his little fingers calloused from sports at school.

The other boy did the same thing.

It didn't feel as if Seungcheol was touching the cold glassy surface of the mirror.

It felt warm, like fingertips upon his in return.

"What's your name?"

Seungcheol stuttered out, hoping the boy in his reflection could hear him.

But just as he did so, his mom entered the bathroom, turning on the light, startling little Seungcheol.

He turned quickly back to the mirror after catching her glance, but was disappointed when he saw that the boy staring back at him from the mirror, was now just his own reflection.

His mom scolded him for climbing onto the counter as it wasn't safe, especially for the energetic little boy.

His new shoes squeaked against the tile as the two exited the bathroom, her warning him to remain safe and cautious as she was going to leave for her job.

Seungcheol used to have a babysitter, but over the years his mom became unable to afford it due to her constantly being gone.

It wasn't the safest option to leave a 10 year old home alone, but there was nothing else she could do.

She put so much trust into her son every night as she left for her many jobs.

Even Seungcheol's little mind could understand why she had to work so much.

He had no father for as long as he's been alive, and his mom did everything in her power to try to give Seungcheol a normal childhood while she raised him alone off of end's meet.

Seungcheol was already so independent for his age.

Luckily, Seungcheol never did anything too bad or rowdy when he was in the house all by himself. 

He became accustomed to being home alone anyways.

And now, he had a new hobby to kill time.

Which was trying to talk to the boy in his reflection.


	3. Chapter 3

Seungcheol managed to not forget about the other boy in his reflection until he was 13.

His muddy t-shirts and light up sneakers quickly changed to a school blazer and dress shoes.

Emerging into teenage-hood, his mind became occupied with other priorities.

He still checked the mirror everyday, but for a different purpose.

Hitting that age of maturity, Seungcheol focused more on his image.

He never stopped being a rowdy adolescent, but with moving to a new school and the environment around him being so different from how the behavior was at home, Seungcheol became more afraid to be himself.

Children could judge so harshly, especially in these years.

But Seungcheol made friends too.

He hadn't had any real associates up until then, besides the slowly forgotten boy in the mirror.

He had a small group of roughly 4 other boys.

The reason they were friends with him was because Seungcheol seemed tame.

Which of course was not the real him.

But with this, Seungcheol inferred that not being himself would grant more opportunities for him in the social world.

It was sad that Seungcheol was so young and already thinking of these things.

Seungcheol still didn't fit in though, not quite.

Every kid at school had a cellphone, but Seungcheol didn't.

Every kid got a new uniform every semester, but Seungcheol didn't. 

Every kid got a car ride home from school every day, but Seungcheol didn't.

Seungcheol's mother has been working like crazy the past few years while still managing her son.

Seungcheol was already an independent child, but that quality had to exceed during this time.

He reused his worn out uniform every month.

If he needed to call his mom for whatever reason, he'd use the school's telephone in the administration office.

He took the long walk home every day.

What the other kids saw as regular things, Seungcheol viewed them as luxuries.

Seungcheol didn't have the best grades either.

He was a smart kid, it was just his mind was preoccupied with so many other things to focus on his academics.

The teachers were understanding to him, and provided in-class and after-school free tutoring.

Seungcheol always tried his best, but he still didn't get it.

He was so busy thinking if he'd see his mom before she'd leave to work again, if they could afford dinner this week, if the power would go out.

No 13 year old should be thinking of that.

But it's not like anyone knew besides Seungcheol.

After all, he hid his feelings and kept his thoughts to himself.

The after-school tutoring this day went longer than expected, as Seungcheol was having more struggle with the work than usual.

By the time he got home, it was near evening, and he knew his mom must've left for her night shift already.

Seungcheol was used to coming home to an empty house, opening an empty refrigerator, going through the empty cabinets.

There was a few won and a note left on the counter, a regular sight for him to see.

It was whenever his mom would leave the house to work, giving all the little she had for Seungcheol to go out and buy himself food.

Seungcheol would refuse the offer, returning the won back to her purse when he could, lying to her later by telling her he ate.

She needed the money far more than him, and it was so bad that young Seungcheol had to mature so fast to understand this.

He walked into the bathroom to take off his school clothes, when something surprised him in the mirror.

A sight he barely remembered, but knew so well.

Staring back at him in the mirror was that boy.

The boy that used to be in his reflection.

With the long dark hair, dainty eyes, and a resting grin.

He never realized how much he missed that face.

The face that reminded him of when he was an innocent child, spending all his free time staring in the mirror to meet his new friend.

Realistically and logistically, it was impossible that the other boy could possibly be there.

But Seungcheol ignored that, not allowing his maturing mind to ruin his one spark of nostalgia.

Walking closely towards the mirror, the other boy seemed to do the same thing.

"Hello?"

Seungcheol asked.

But he knew the other boy wouldn't respond.

Then right before his eyes, the boy vanished, the reflection in the mirror now just being Seungcheol himself.

Seungcheol stopped his temporary awe, knowing he was wasting time and he had homework to catch up on.

He figured it was stupid to be talking to a mirror in the first place.


	4. Chapter 4

16 hit Seungcheol faster than it should have.

Usually teens got to live out the prime years of their lives, the time of change, the time of maturity.

Seungcheol felt that he was 16 long before he even turned the age. 

Since 13, Seungcheol had been more guarded.

His mother had been working even more- if that was possible- in multiple locations, almost to the point where Seungcheol would go a few days at a time without seeing her.

He felt so alone, but thankfully, he had a friend that never gave up on him.

His name was Joshua, a foreign exchange student from the United States. 

He had been with Seungcheol since 13; he was Seungcheol's only loyal friend left.

Joshua was in a similar situation as Seungcheol, with parents always occupied with work.

This gave the two an opportunity to hang out more.

Everyday since 13, Joshua and Seungcheol would go to each other's houses after school.

Seungcheol had no idea how to express his gratefulness to Joshua, to tell him how thankful he was that someone was there for him.

Joshua had been with Seungcheol through so much.

He never judged Seungcheol for his rants, for his vents, for his existence.

He was the perfect best friend.

Joshua and Seungcheol were having a sleepover now, both of their parents occupied with work out of town.

They talked about anything and everything from grades to aliens to feelings.

"So what'd you get on the trig test?"

Joshua asked, shoving a cookie in his mouth.

The two were sprawled out in Joshua's living room, stuffing snacks and watching TV.

Seungcheol loved the luxury of Joshua's house.

How he got to have things like snacks and television.

How he could put posters up on his bedroom walls and could buy fancy hand soap.

Every other kid would think of those as normal things, but to Seungcheol, they'll forever be luxuries.

"60. But I'm gonna go in tomorrow at lunch for a retake." 

A 60 on a test was a high score for Seungcheol, but he knew his mom would expect better.

It's not like she knew of his grades though; she never really talked about it with her son.

Seungcheol always wanted to do better for his mom.

If he got a good education, he'd be able to get a job and help his mother financially. 

He hated that she had to work so hard.

Some kids his age had part-time jobs, but Seungcheol's mom strictly prohibited it, saying the work force was no place for a child.

Seungcheol thought of his childhood, or lack thereof. 

Watching his mom progressively work more and more, with less and less time to attend to her son. 

He thought of the lonely nights, the secluded birthdays, the at-home haircuts, the days he only wanted a friend.

That's when Seungcheol was reminded of something.

Before Joshua, Seungcheol had one lone companion.

"Hey Josh, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Have you ever had an imaginary friend?"

Joshua chuckled, chewing another cookie.

"Maybe when I was like four. Why do you ask?"

Seungcheol furrowed his eyebrows took a sip of his soda.

"I was just thinking, I guess. Ever since I was really young, I always saw this boy in my reflection that wasn't me. He just seemed too real to be imaginary though."

Joshua cocked his head to the side, slowly munching his cookie.

"How long has it been since this occurred?"

Seungcheol shrugged.

"I was probably 13 the last time I saw him. Maybe my mind was just playing tricks though-"

"Cheol, have you ever heard of a soulmate?"

Joshua spoke abruptly, halting Seungcheol before he could continue his phrase.

"Umm, no?"

Seungcheol questioned.

Joshua's eyes brightened and pulled up his laptop, sitting next to Seungcheol as he booted up the screen.

The device whirred on for a bit before displaying a black screen.

Still bewildered, Seungcheol looked into the nothingness of the screen, waiting for the laptop to load.

He zoned out for a moment before his eyes adjusted to his reflection within the screen.

Gentle eyes, dark hair, sharp nose, smooth cheeks.

It was the boy he just talked about.

It was either a coincidence of his imagination, or for whatever a soulmate was.

"Josh, there he is."

Seungcheol whispered, pointing to the black screen.

As Joshua fixated his gaze into the reflection, it was clear he saw nothing but Seungcheol.

The laptop screen turned on at that point, erasing the boy from his sight.

"I swear, I just saw the boy I was telling you about! I'm not crazy. This has to be some huge coincidence or something."

Seungcheol exclaimed, but Joshua only replied with a simple smile.

"I know you're not crazy, Cheol. You're gonna like what I'm gonna show you."


	5. Chapter 5

17, the final age of teenage youth, where adulthood was just a reach away.

This was the last year Seungcheol was a deemed a child, although the boy has felt that he has practically lived as older for longer than such.

Things were still regular with his mother.

She still constantly worked, leaving Seungcheol with nothing to do after school.

This led to more time that Seungcheol had to hang out with Joshua

In regards to Joshua, when he first spoke of the "soulmate" notion the year prior, Seungcheol completely brushed it off.

What was a soulmate?

A soulmate was a person you need to complete you, to love you, to cherish you, to understand you.

Someone who has a grand connection with you and is meant to be with you as if predestined by fate.

These soulmates could be discovered in different ways, whether it was a simple aligning of the stars, or a constant reminder of a signal that someone is there with you in spirit. 

With Seungcheol seeing this boy in his reflection all the time, Joshua figured it had to be a sign of destiny.

Seungcheol was never one to believe in myths.

He grew up way too mature to even embrace the thrill of it.

Whenever Joshua would bring up the soulmate topic, Seungcheol would quickly change the conversation. 

He knew that Joshua was aware of his lack of idealism.

Throughout the year, Seungcheol had seemed to be visited by the companion in his reflection more often than not.

Joshua had encouraged him to take the fantastical approach in life, especially since he was nearing adulthood. 

Seungcheol verbally discredited it, but in the back of his mind was a little _what if?_

Here, the boys were, just a regular day after school relaxing at Joshua's house.

The two sat on the floor, television playing quietly in the atmosphere, and Joshua worked efficiently on his laptop while Seungcheol was scarfing down some crackers.

"Did you see that boy again?"

Joshua asked, not removing his large eyes from his laptop screen.

He asked that question every day, knowing Seungcheol wouldn't want to elaborate upon his possible soulmate.

He must've just kept this information in his head.

Seungcheol did see the boy.

Rather than a flash of his face once every few years, Seungcheol had now noticed this reflection appearing frequently throughout his days.

From looking through the window at school, to prolonged eye contact in Joshua's laptop screen, Seungcheol knew in the back of his mind that it had to mean something, but he refused to address it.

It was if the universe was trying to tell Seungcheol something, but he denied acknowledging that. 

He knew it would only provoke Joshua further into his soulmate notion; Seungcheol didn't know why he couldn't accept it.

Maybe because so many things in his life had gone so wrong that it would be pitiful if God had sent him a guardian to wipe the past away.

"Yeah," Seungcheol mumbled in response.

"What does he look like now?"

It's not that the boy's appearance changed every time Seungcheol saw him, it was more as if he was growing up alongside him.

"He has longer hair now. Same face."

Joshua replied with a hum and continued casually working on his laptop. 

The boy in Seungcheol's reflection never smiled, never emoted with his features.

He blinked with Seungcheol, he shifted with Seungcheol, but had no other expression.

Seungcheol knew that the thought of a soulmate was juvenile, and that he was probably hallucinating these past 11 years.

But something inside him provoked him to experiment with this little companion.

"I'm going to the bathroom real quick."

Seungcheol said, standing up and heading down the hall.

He entered the bathroom, shutting the door and locking it.

There, he approached the mirror.

The only face staring back at him was his own.

So, Seungcheol stared harder, trying to voluntarily beckon the other boy in his reflection out.

Soon enough it happened, and Seungcheol was quickly met with small twinkling eyes.

Seungcheol said no words, but smiled to the mirror, hoping to receive a gesture in return.

His smile felt so stiff and fake, as he wasn't used to it unless he was around Joshua.

But, to Seungcheol's surprise, the boy did smile back.

He had a beautiful grin resembling such as a cat.

The apples of his smooth cheeks brightened with the gentle display of straight teeth enveloped in soft pink lips amongst tan skin.

Seungcheol gasped, taken aback by the reaction.

But before he knew it, the boy was gone, leaving Seungcheol's realistic mind blown.

Was Joshua right?


	6. Chapter 6

Seungcheol's last year of adolescence seemed to fly by quicker than the clouds he used to chase when he was a kid.

18 hit him hard. 

He graduated high school, and now he had to find a life plan.

He wasn't financially equipped enough for college yet, nor was he good enough at school sports to get a scholarship. 

Now that he was technically an adult, he could get a job to help his mother out.

He decided to take a gap year to find a temporary occupation to raise money for his mother and him, while also possibly putting some savings in for later education.

Joshua chose to attend a local college to begin his study for music.

That was convenient, as the two boys still had time to spend together outside of that.

When Joshua's classes had been dismissed and Seungcheol was done wasting his day away alone, the two would regroup and hang out at Joshua's house again.

For the past few weeks, they had been looking up job opportunities online together. 

Joshua also offered to work part-time with Seungcheol, so it made the whole ordeal for the both of them much easier.

"Well, what interests do you exactly have?"

Asked Joshua, scrolling through lists of occupational options on his laptop.

Seungcheol scooted closer to the latter, resting his head on his shoulder.

"I don't know. I don't exactly have skills in anything."

"You don't need skills. You just have to be personable."

"Which I'm not."

Seungcheol sighed, nuzzling his head further against Joshua.

"But you can be."

Joshua replied with a hopeful grin, hopeful enough to spark some intonation in Seungcheol.

He kept scrolling through his grand list of options.

"Can you cook?"

"Barely."

"Can you swim?"

"No."

"Can you play any instrument?"

"No."

Seungcheol's voice faltered with each response he gave.

He felt so embarrassed that Joshua had all these opportunities to get a jump start on life, and Seungcheol was restricting him of that.

Joshua was all too kind to stick by Seungcheol's side.

"Ooh! How about being a barista? You do make some good coffee, Cheol."

Seungcheol shrugged.

"I do, but I'm not social."

"Sorry to break it to ya, but every job you're gonna apply for involves being social."

Seungcheol groaned.

For the past- what- five years, Seungcheol has only stuck to Joshua's side.

It would be very difficult to branch out into the real world and actually expand his personality.

But, Joshua had been selfless enough for as long as Seungcheol knew him, so he could grant this to him in return.

"Okay, I guess I could try. Only for you though."

Seungcheol's response made Joshua exclaim in joy.

Seungcheol would be lying if he said he wasn't a bit stressed, but knowing Joshua would be by his side assured him a bit.

Maybe the reality of actually going into adulthood wasn't too bad.

And thus began the long conversation from Joshua to Seungcheol about resumes, work hours, wages, and promotions.

It was a lot to take in.

Seungcheol thought he already had been excelling as an adult since teenage-hood due to his high level of maturity, but this was real.

Joshua began typing up his resume while Seungcheol waited in silence.

He was so thankful for his best friend being so knowledgeable. 

Seungcheol zoned out, his eyes gazing blankly into the black TV screen.

It took him a while to realize who was staring back at him through the muted dark reflection.

The boy.

The one aspect of Seungcheol's imagination that kept him in touch with his inner youth.

He had long voluminous dark hair with bronzing highlights now.

His face had gotten slimmer with maturity, as if he was aging alongside Seungcheol.

His gentle eyes remained softened, his longer eyelashes accentuating a daintiness to his features.

Seungcheol would have usually jumped up to let Joshua know of what he was seeing, as the latter was still very much in tune with that "soulmate" notion.

However, Seungcheol remained silent, proceeding to stare into his reflection in the TV, eyes scanning over the boy that stared back at him. 

There was a few more moments of silence, the only sound heard in the quiet room was the laptop keyboard clicking with every one of Joshua's characters.

"Josh?"

"Hm?"

Joshua hummed in acknowledgment, his eyes remaining fixated on the laptop screen.

"This sounds dumb but, is it possible to ever meet your soulmate?"

Joshua stopped typing and looked to Seungcheol who was still laying upon his shoulder.

"Yes it is. That’s kinda the point of them. Why? Did you see the boy again?"

"No, I was just wondering."

Seungcheol lied.

The only reason he didn't tell Joshua that he was seeing the boy in his reflection more often than not was because he didn't want to listen to his best friend go on a tirade about soulmate conspiracies.

Seungcheol sighed, and Joshua ruffled the other's thick dark hair.

"Look, don't worry about it, Cheol. When fate decides it's time, then it's time."


	7. Chapter 7

Seungcheol had no idea how he did it.

To be fair, he was truly only doing this for Joshua, in whom he had much faith in.

He got the job a few months before turning 19.

With the help of Joshua's touch-ups to his resume and faking his smile throughout the whole interview process, he landed himself with the small occupation as a barista.

The coffee shop was local- thank God- and not one of those mainstream cafes that served millions of people per day.

The location was more convenient for not only Joshua's school schedule, but also not a long walk from Seungcheol's house, as he still didn't have a car.

Seungcheol found peace in the shop, and quickly grew comfortable working there alongside his best friend, a couple other employees, and a kind manager.

He learned skills and recipes quickly and efficiently, surprising himself with his newfound ability.

He memorized most recipes and knew how to navigate the entire kitchen already.

Everything was low key, and Seungcheol was finally under the littlest amount of stress that he's ever experienced in his life.

Most of the customers happened to be elderly people or students coming from the nearby middle school.

Each person that arrived was pretty much a regular, so it didn't stress Seungcheol out to scan millions of different faces.

Slowly, one customer after the other, Seungcheol's smile grew more genuine, and he started to enjoy the little spark of excitement that flared in his chest whenever he had another customer to tend to.

He got along with his co-workers and was receiving a decent paycheck.

As the months moved along, so did Joshua’s school schedule, his class periods shifting from evening to morning now.

Seungcheol worked full time due to not being in school, while Joshua only worked part time in the afternoon after his classes were dismissed.

Of course Seungcheol was a bit nervous at first having to be social without Joshua by his side, but surprisingly he got used to it.

Seungcheol worked from early mornings to late afternoons, and sometimes evenings even he was bored and knew he was just going to spend the night at home alone again.

It didn't matter what time it was because he stayed as late up to the end of Joshua's shift.

Joshua was at school now, and no one was in the shop except Seungcheol and the manager, who was in the back office.

It was soothing to not feel that the whole world was crushing down on his shoulders everyday.

It just sucked that it took 19 years to feel some sort of relief.

Seungcheol was at the front counter by the cash register, humming to a random melody stuck in his head as he waited for the early bird customers to show up, order their usual, and then head off to their work.

He heard the jingle of the entrance bell as a customer entered.

Straightening himself out, Seungcheol brightened his expression with a welcoming smile, expecting to greet the face of the elderly woman that always showed up early.

But when his eyes focused, it was no elderly woman walking through the door, but rather an individual probably around his age.

The person had their head down, their shoulder-blade length brunette hair sparkling with auburn highlights.

They wore a loose black t-shirt upon their slightly broadened shoulders and white jeans that complemented their slim long legs.

They were probably around Seungcheol's height with a dainty posture and had a shy demeanor.

They were not a regular, which is why Seungcheol took such notice to them.

"Hello, may I take your order?"

Seungcheol greeted in the most friendly manner he could, trying to withdraw some of the happiness of his lost youth from his soul and embed it into his attitude.

This customer obviously wasn't from around here, and they seemed quite demure.

"Just a vanilla cappuccino please."

The voice was soft, somewhat quiet, with an angelic tone that Seungcheol could just barely pick up. 

They spoke airy and gentle, and Seungcheol grew intrigued to the unique sound.

"Would that be all for you today?"

The customer nodded in response, hastily handing Seungcheol the total amount for their order.

"Coming right up."

He had almost every recipe memorized down pat, so it took probably less than a minute to fix the customer a drink.

He handed them the cup, keeping the same friendly grin on his face.

The customer kept their head down a lot for some reason; they must've been really shy.

"Have a wonderful day!"

Seungcheol spoke blissfully.

As they retrieved for the cup, long fingers just so happened to brush over Seungcheol's.

"You too."

A response.

And that was when they finally looked up to meet eyes with Seungcheol.

A spark lit itself ablaze inside Seungcheol's chest.

Their features were nothing like that of the usual senior citizens or children that regularly came in. 

The customer had long eyelashes that complemented eyes that resembled those of a doe, pretty and gentle.

They had a slim face, clear light skin, and a shy smile rested upon pink lips.

Before Seungcheol could examine the individual’s beauty any longer, they gracefully exited the shop.

Their face oddly seemed all too familiar, as if Seungcheol met them before, but he knew for sure that this was the first time ever serving this new customer.

Seungcheol just couldn't pin point it out.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read the author’s notes at the end of the chapter!!!

Seungcheol just turned 20.

He had a small celebration with Joshua at his house, a few kudos from his co-workers, and his mother working out of town shooting him a phone call, telling him she loved him and would be back home to him soon.

Seungcheol, although an adult, was seemingly regaining his boyish features back.

It was as if life knew how quickly he had to mature while growing up that it finally let his late youth come back to him. 

He had grown out thick messy dark hair, big eager eyes, and a humble smile that could melt hearts anywhere.

The regular customers were always excited to see him working the register, and their happiness always lit a spark of glee inside Seungcheol.

With his new income, he had planned to start saving money for college, or at least a home of his own, but hasn't accumulated just enough yet.

He was still technically living with his mother, though she was never home, the house was still under her ownership.

Seungcheol has helped pay the bills though; he figured it was the most he could do for his mother right now.

Joshua also taught him how to execute many aspects part of the adult world.

Joshua's parents had moved out, granting him ownership of his home; he was already a year through college, closer to getting his bachelor's degree in music.

Everything was peaceful, happy, regular.

Speaking of regular, that one new customer Seungcheol had was coming in every day now.

They varied their style, from having hair up to down, to dyed blonde, to braided.

He learned their name too. 

Jeonghan.

Not a name he's heard before, but Seungcheol was never judgmental.

This day, Jeonghan came into the store with a whole new look.

Jeonghan's hair was cut to neck-length, had it dyed black, and wore baggier tops.

But Seungcheol didn't judge.

It looked cute.

There was a more handsome heir to Jeonghan, but Seungcheol like it.

Jeonghan also seemed to have come in with a friend.

"Hi Seungcheol."

Greeted Jeonghan, the same bright yet shy smile resting gently on a delicate face.

"Hi Jeonghan. Hello ma'am."

The girl beside Jeonghan grinned.

She was much shorter than Jeonghan, had a higher voice, and a slim torso.

"Jeonghan recommended this place for me. I'm new to this town, so I'm trusting what he says!"

Seungcheol smiled and was about to ask her for her order when he rethought what she said.

He?

As in Jeonghan?

Seungcheol thought he misheard her.

"Umm, I'll order whatever he's having."

She spoke, referring to Jeonghan.

"Okay, we'll have two iced mochas, Seungcheol."

Jeonghan said, smiling.

Seungcheol nodded, pretending his mind wasn't in a total loop.

As he began to prepare the drinks, two and two were starting to come together.

Jeonghan's height, sharp jawline, broad shoulders, flat chest, deeper voice.

But Jeonghan's hands were so delicate, Jeonghan's stature was so fragile, Jeonghan's smile was so gentle.

How could Seungcheol be so dumb?

Seungcheol never assumed Jeonghan's gender in the first place; he honestly didn't care as Jeonghan was just a customer.

It's not that Seungcheol was judging.

Jeonghan was still very very cute. 

And, well, incredibly handsome.

He didn’t want to assume anything about Jeonghan, afraid of misgendering him when he hoped he hasn’t been indirectly doing it this entire time without knowing so. 

Seungcheol felt somewhat guilty for not recognizing this lovely customer as a gentleman, but thought it would be rude to ask Jeonghan of his identity.

They weren't close at all, simply customer and employee.

You don’t just ask a customer if they’re a boy or girl or non-binary or something else.

Gender never comes up when you’re ordering coffee.

"Here you go ma'am. And here you go Jeonghan."

Seungcheol beamed, handing them their beverages.

The two friends thanked him.

As the woman was heading out the door, Jeonghan stopped back at the counter to address Seungcheol.

"Hey, umm, Seungcheol?"

Jeonghan spoke in such a gentle angelic tone.

"Yes?"

"Umm, I just wanted to say thank you for always being so positive. You really make my day start off great."

Jeonghan giggled, hovering a hand over his cute grin, clearly bashful.

"No problem. You're always a fantastic customer. Thanks for coming by!"

Jeonghan's cheeks flushed a tinge of pink, flashing his shy smile before tucking his black hair behind his ear and waving Seungcheol goodbye.

For a second, Seungcheol didn't even know if he was breathing.

Jeonghan was just so, well, breathtaking.

Like an angel.

Seungcheol never figured out where he saw Jeonghan's face before though.

It seemed so familiar.

The thought always pricked his mind.

But another face that Seungcheol hadn't seen in a long time was that boy in his reflection.

He didn't remember the boy often, but at times, he'd wonder if that really was his soulmate, and if he'd ever meet him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I am well aware Jeonghan does not like being misgendered. From a working point of view like in Seungcheol’s case in my story, you don’t really care or assume anyone’s identity, you just serve customers regardless of who they are or what they look like. I never stated that Seungcheol thought Jeonghan was a girl, and never used any pronouns regarding Jeonghan other than “they” or “the customer”. Seungcheol just wasn’t sure to address him as sir because of how Jeonghan was androgynous passing, just like he actually was back in 2015-2016, but didn’t think he’d be comfortable asking about it, because again, it is just serving a customer and you don’t ask those things while working. Jeonghan is still a cis male in my story as he is in real life. I am not misgendering him, I am just putting this in a worker’s perspective of encountering a customer and not assuming anything about their character or identity. If this offended you I am so sorry that it was interpreted that way and please correct me and tell me a better way to word it!!!


	9. Chapter 9

Through the second half of the year, it seemed that Seungcheol's fluctuating image decided to settle and finally resemble that of an adult.

He had developed strong muscles, his hair dark and in a soft swoop atop of his head.

His jawline got sharper and he grew taller, his shoulders now broadened, contrasting with his previous youthful appearance. 

However Seungcheol's bright smile never changed, nor did his big joyful eyes. 

He was much happier now, so much happier, as if the pain of his past was simply a clouded memory.

Yes he still missed his mother's presence, but she called him every day that she wasn’t home, giving him that edge of assurance he needed.

Speaking of assurance, his best friend Joshua had scheduled evening classes for this quarter, allowing him to get more working and bonding hours in the morning with Seungcheol.

Opening up the shop every day with his best friend by his side made Seungcheol's days start off fresh and full of energy.

Joshua knew about Jeonghan too.

On late nights where they'd still have sleep overs, or whenever Seungcheol had the free time during his later shift, he'd tell Joshua everything about the new regular customer.

His gorgeous face, his angelic presence, the way Seungcheol felt as though he's seen him before but couldn't exactly point out when and where he could have.

Coincidentally, whenever Jeonghan came in with Joshua's new shift, Joshua always happened to be in the back while Seungcheol remained at the register, even though they switched off every so often.

It was almost as if the universe wanted Jeonghan and Seungcheol to encounter any chance they could.

"How's school been?"

Seungcheol asked one early morning at work to his sleepy best friend.

Joshua rubbed his eyes, clearly exhausted from studying the night prior.

"It's tough, but I'm managing."

More customers usually came in during opening hours due to the change of season, however the shop remained empty for the time being.

It was much colder out these days, some weeks even on the brink of shedding snow.

"You know, I was thinking about this after studying last night. We had to write about pathological impacts of different undertones of music, which basically means what feelings types of songs give you, and speaking of feelings it reminded me of something. If you wouldn't mind me asking?"

Joshua inquired, leaning over the register counter to his colleague.

"What ever happened to the soulmate guy in your reflection? You used to talk about him all the time. Is he gone or?"

Seungcheol's mind flashed.

He'd been so occupied with working and being an adult that he completely disregarded the one aspect of his imagination that kept his youth with him. 

"I don't remember seeing him at all lately. I just might be too busy with adulting to focus on that." 

Seungcheol's voice trailed off.

"Sorry bout that."

Joshua replied, stepping towards Seungcheol and casually putting an arm around him. 

"If I haven't seen him, does that mean my soulmate is gone? Or like never existed?"

Seungcheol had grown really passionate about this fictional destiny, as much as he hated to admit so.

The imaginary myth gave Seungcheol a tiny spark of hope in a greater future with someone, other than Joshua, by his side.

Eventually, Joshua would transfer from community college and possibly venture out of town, or country, to proceed in his career.

Maybe he’s go as far as to going back to the United States for college one day.

Seungcheol would be left alone by then.

He just wanted to be nurtured, to be cherished, and if destiny couldn't help him then how could he help himself?

Joshua suddenly had a smug grin on his face.

"What? Don't tell me you've been joking with me this whole time about soulmates."

Seungcheol retorted bewilderedly, eyes full of anticipation.

"Cheol, do you know why you don't see him anymore?"

Seungcheol cocked his head in confusion.

"It is because you already met him."


	10. Chapter 10

Seungcheol was stressed all day and night since Joshua's inference. 

Not only was he growing up so fast, but now he had to deal with the fact that some brief encounter with a random person could determine the fate of his love life. 

There was only so much Seungcheol's mundane mind and developing heart could take. 

Months passed by like minutes, and before Seungcheol knew it, he was 21.

He was still working at the coffee shop, but had set up a separate bank account for college savings, or maybe investment for a house of his own.

He has put off school for a while now, knowing he wouldn't multitask well maintaining education and a job at the same time like his responsible friend Joshua.

With how often Joshua was busy with school and his classes changing from morning to night every semester, Seungcheol could not see himself managing that.

Also, Seungcheol had been seeing his mom more; she has arrived home from work voyages just in time as he did too.

Seungcheol would rather see his mom day in and day out than being cooped up in school all day alone. 

In regards to work, Seungcheol was having a grand time.

It was that one period in spring where everyday was rainy and cold, and he got many customers.

Joshua still worked alongside him, and Seungcheol was always grateful for his best friend's efforts. 

This morning it was pouring icy rain, and Seungcheol just so happened to sleep in.

He woke up to several texts from Joshua:

**"You coming to work today? Your shift started half an hour ago."**

**"I opened the shop today by myself, where are you?"**

**"Stuck dreaming about that soulmate of yours? Haha, kidding, just get to work man. It's freezing. Let me know if you need a ride.”**

Seungcheol, in his years working at the shop, has never been late once.

He had never rushed so fast in his life, throwing on his white button up- not caring to tame his messy curly bedhead- grabbed an umbrella, keys, and his phone, and dashed out of the house. 

He had missed any bus going this route, and Joshua surely wasn't coming to pick him up now, so he paced quickly on foot to work.

It wasn't a far walk, but the pouring rain made every step feel like a mile.

When he finally made it to the shop, stepping in exhausted, hair and shirt wet from rain, he was glad to find that it wasn't crowded.

Joshua was at the register, not taking an order, but rather talking with a customer: a blonde individual wearing layers of coats and a scarf.

"Oh, hey Cheol."

Joshua waved, beckoning him over.

Seungcheol trudged to the counter, exasperated and enervated, but didn't let his expression show in front of the customer, or at least he tried.

"Hi Seungcheol."

The smooth high tone of the customer greeted.

When he met their gaze, it was Jeonghan.

He had changed his hair, and it was now wavy and blonde, brightening his gorgeous face and enhancing his flawless features.

Instantly, Seungcheol froze, face heating up with embarrassment. 

How could he look so humiliating to such an angel in front of him?

"Hey Jeonghan," Seungcheol stammered.

He didn't know why he was suddenly nervous, either because he looked like a train-wreck, or because Jeonghan was so ethereal as always.

"Sorry for being late, Josh. I overslept."

Joshua chuckled, patting Seungcheol's shoulder.

"You're good. At least you came. Jeonghan here has just been keeping me company."

Jeonghan gave a gentle grin, causing Seungcheol to divert eye contact.

He had never been so shy with any customer, not even the other regulars.

No matter how corny he's been, or stupidly welcoming Seungcheol was, he's never felt embarrassed in any way in front of anyone else, of course, besides Jeonghan.

"Shua!"

A voice called from the back office.

"One sec guys. Yes manager-nim?"

Joshua went in the direction of the manager's calls, leaving Seungcheol and Jeonghan alone with each other.

"So, how long was Joshua with you before I got here?"

Seungcheol asked, breaking the silence.

"Probably 15 minutes. I have nothing to do today so I'm glad I got some conversation in."

Jeonghan then flashed that wholesome smile again, giving Seungcheol the urge to either squish his cheeks or faint.

"Did you really run here in the rain?"

The blonde asked, Seungcheol now blushing realizing his thick brown hair must be really messy, his white button up sticking to his chest from the water.

"Well, yeah. My umbrella wasn't much of a help, as you can tell. Sorry I'm such a mess today."

"And you brought no coat?"

Jeonghan inquired, tilting his head to the left some as he stepped towards Seungcheol.

Seungcheol never really realized that he was now taller than the latter, but finally comprehended it as the boy was so close to him now.

"No, I rushed out of my house so fast. I've never been late."

Seungcheol gave a nervous chuckle.

Jeonghan beamed a warm grin, reaching up and brushing Seungcheol's messy bangs out of his eyes.

Seungcheol's heart stopped as Jeonghan's delicate hand ever so slightly almost caressed his cheek as he pushed away stray curls.

Seungcheol's eyes were wide and clearly dilated, twinkling in awe.

"I hope you don't catch a cold."

Jeonghan uttered, patting Seungcheol's shoulder.

Feeling the blonde's frigid warm palm against his broad shoulder sent butterflies racing through Seungcheol's stomach.

Why Jeonghan, a random regular customer, was making him react like this, he didn't know.

But, the feeling wasn't negative.

It was cordial, assuring, lifting to have Jeonghan in his presence.

He'd just have to know why it was as such.


	11. Chapter 11

"Where are you?"

Seungcheol asked to himself for the dozenth time this evening.

There he was, hours past arriving home from work, staring at his reflection in the bathroom mirror for about twenty minutes now.

It really hit him hard suddenly on why he wasn't seeing his soulmate anymore.

But Seungcheol just couldn't believe what Joshua said.

There was no way he could have met that person in his reflection; Seungcheol tried scrolling through all the faces he must've encountered throughout work, walking on the street, or an accidental meeting of eyes.

Nothing.

Nothing came into his head.

The boy in his reflection had a gentle expression, twinkling brown eyes, slim cheeks, and long straight hair when he last saw him.

Seungcheol knew nobody that looked like that, or could have looked like that one point in their life.

Or so he thought.

He was stressed, hope clinging onto this imaginary hallucination tighter than Seungcheol was holding together his emotions.

"Where are you? I know you're real! I know I'm not crazy!"

Seungcheol raised his voice in aggravation, tears brimming in his eyes.

He was so frustrated, for a simple glance of this individual could be determining Seungcheol's future, and he just couldn't remember anything.

He was so helpless that he was relying on his imagination to provide him some guidance in life. 

But one thing Seungcheol didn't understand about soulmates was that they're destined to meet.

As much as one would try to avoid them, one would still meet them one day. 

Seungcheol didn't get that, he thought it was his responsibility to go find this person rather than letting the universe take control.

He let his emotions get the better of him, something he never let happen when he was a child.

He cried.

Seungcheol was so unnecessarily stressed to the point where it physically hurt to move, to breathe, and it was painful.

Stupid things like this never got to him before, but the building tension in his mind and body at this point was too much. 

He was so irritated, as whenever he couldn't find a direct solution to something, he couldn't help but get anxiety pent up within himself.

The big strong man crumbled like the little boy he truly was inside, tears falling like icy rain onto the bathroom counter.

He figured his night was too long, and he had about 5 hours to go to bed before opening shop for his next shift.

He was stressing himself out over nothing, over a fictional element that his best friend introduced him to, to just mask how truly crazy Seungcheol could be.

Come on, who just sees someone else in their reflection?

Seungcheol slept, or what was a sad excuse for slumber.

Tossing and turning for hours with burning eyes squeezed shut didn't really count as proper rest.

Seungcheol was so confused, not understanding why this whole notion was hitting him like a truck suddenly when Joshua introduced him to soulmates a year prior. 

Maybe Seungcheol was just desperate for someone in his life so badly, someone to love him, to nurture him, just like he had been doing for everyone else.

It might be selfish to say this, but Joshua could only do so much for him.

Seungcheol _needed_ to be cherished.

He knew he was going to come into work today looking like a mess again.

There was no rain this fine spring morning, but clouds were out and the air was damp.

The sensitive skin around Seungcheol's eyelids was visibly swollen and irritated from crying the night prior, a shade of rouge rimming his sunken eyes.

But knowing that he was going into work and going to see Joshua made him happy.

_Going to see Jeonghan made him happy._

Seungcheol brushed away the pain of last night and contorted it into the glee of today.

He opened up the shop, and Joshua arrived about 10 minutes later as usual.

The two would incessantly chatter until a customer would arrive, and immediately switch into work-mode.

Joshua never commented on Seungcheol's expression; he was just praying that the redness on his face could have faded by now so he wouldn't look humiliatingly pitiful and miserable in front of customers.

Maybe Joshua knew better to not bring it up.

Damn Seungcheol's eyes for being so big and round and for being the immediate center of attention to his face.

The doorbell jingled as another customer walked in, and Seungcheol quickly straightened himself out at the register.

"Hi Seungcheol," a familiar gentle high voice greeted.

"Good morning Jeonghan," Seungcheol replied, feeling a smile rise on his face.

Jeonghan's wavy blonde hair was ruffled on his head, he was wearing a beige cashmere sweater and jeans.

Why was it that he was so effortlessly beautiful?

After making the blonde's order, the two as per usual, indulged in some friendly conversation.

Seungcheol walked around the register counter to stand in front of the angel.

They talked about how their days went, Jeonghan casually repeating his little habit of craning his neck up and flashing his innocent smile.

That was until Jeonghan suddenly stopped, concern washing over his usually carefree expression.

"Seungcheol, you okay?"

"Yeah why?"

Jeonghan stepped closer to the taller, scanning his face.

"Your eyes, they look really red. Did you not sleep? Or were you crying?"

Jeonghan's precious gems of eyes dilated and twinkled, eyebrows raising in question and worry.

Seungcheol's heart got stuck in his throat.

"I didn't sleep well last night. My eyes are just big so they react easily to little things like that."

Which was the truth, except Seungcheol left out the part of his mental breakdown that caused this to happen.

Jeonghan simpered in symphathy, reaching out his delicate hand and placing it gently on Seungcheol's muscular arm.

"I'm sorry about that. I know you do work a lot. Maybe you could go home earlier tonight to get some rest."

Thank God Jeonghan believed him.

Seungcheol couldn't imagine how humiliating it would be to have to explain why he was crying over a mythological idea that Joshua brought up a year ago.

Jeonghan's touch surged Seungcheol with tingles and warmth, content extending throughout his body.

Jeonghan was so unnecessarily caring; he radiated purity.

Seungcheol felt safer around him, even though he's supposed to be nothing more than a customer.

Maybe the two could get closer somehow.


	12. Chapter 12

A lovely Saturday morning emerged with dark clouds as thick as cotton.

Seungcheol didn't have work today; the weekends were usually days he'd hang out with Joshua. 

He got to sleep in, finally embracing the euphoric feeling of making up for all his missed hours of attempted slumber.

After nuzzling around in his heavy abundance of sheets for a while, Seungcheol rubbed his puffy sleepy eyes and checked his phone.

Texts from Joshua were the first notifications on his screen that caught his eye. 

**"Hey, I'm hanging out with a small group of friends today, was wondering if you'd wanna tag along?"**

Seungcheol didn't wish to be a burden to Joshua's precious time, but at the same time knew he couldn't waste the day away being a hermit in his home. 

With that, Seungcheol texted back, scheduling the hang out to be at noon at Joshua's house.

Seungcheol used to get horrible social anxiety regarding meeting new people, as he wasn't too keen on first impressions, however with his experience working at the coffee shop, he had grown more confident around strangers.

Who knows, maybe Seungcheol could make new friends?

Seungcheol got dressed in a black sweatshirt and jeans, casually running his fingers through his thick curly hair a few times, and made his way to walk over to Joshua's house.

"Ah Cheol! Cool you made it, come in."

Joshua's greeting was like a wave of warmth, a refreshment compared to the damp dense weather Seungcheol just walked in.

As Seungcheol entered the house, he was met with a group of about four other boys, all who's appearances drastically contrasted with one another.

"We're just waiting on one more person, so make yourself comfortable. Guys, this is Seungcheol, my best friend."

Joshua introduced the latter.

Seungcehol would be lying if he said he wasn't a bit shy; it had been a while since he had really had any close encounters with any one besides Joshua.

_And Jeonghan._

And so Seungcheol made himself known to the group, all of them who seemed to attend college with Joshua.

There was a thin Chinese boy with an impeccable fashion sense and had an interest in art.

Alongside him was bubbly giggly boy who resembled the essence of a tiger and excelled in dance.

With them was a quieter dark haired individual who had sharp facial features and pale skin, who indulged in literature.

And lastly a bright-smiled handsome man with silky hair and freckles who was a singer and theatre enthusiast.

They were all incredibly welcoming to the clearly shy Seungcheol, and they all got a chance to know each other as they waited for the final guest to arrive.

"Ah, there you are. Hi! Glad you could make it."

Joshua greeted at the front door as he hugged a slim blonde person.

"Everyone, this is my new friend Jeonghan. Feel free to introduce yourselves."

Jeonghan?

Since when did Joshua and Jeonghan get so close?

Seungcheol thought he was supposed to be nothing more than a customer.

It seemed as if the universe kept finding ways for Seungcheol and Jeonghan to meet.

The blonde was draped in an oversized pink hoodie and black jeans, an outfit so simple but managed to make it look like a designer wardrobe. 

The group of boys who sat on the floor greeted Jeonghan kindly.

The boy smiled sweetly and recognized Seungcheol, taking a seat next to him and welcoming him with a friendly hug.

This was the most the two had ever touched.

Seungcheol's body was surging with warmth as the delicate boy wrapped his arms around him.

As Seungcheol took him into the brief embrace, his muscular arms holding Jeonghan's rather delicate frame, his chest pressed against the blonde's, he swore his heart was racing.

He didn't know why, probably because he felt so blessed to be graced in Jeonghan's presence.

Probably because this was the start of a new relationship, something more than customer to employee.

Perhaps they were friends now.

It was as if some higher power heard Seungcheol's pleading thoughts, understood how pitiful and lonely he was, and was granting him a blessing, a gift.

This gift was Jeonghan.

And if the world kept granting him this gift, having them destined to meet over and over again, Seungcheol would gladly accept it.


	13. Chapter 13

Joshua's plans went in a completely different direction than what Seungcheol expected.

Seungcheol initially figured the group would maybe walk to the shopping center and discuss about college, something regular social people would do.

Instead, all the boys remained cozy in Joshua's house, huddled in a circle and were delving deep into the topic of mythology and conspiracy theories.

Joshua was quite the fanatic of those sorts of topics ever since middle school, but who knew everyone there also shared those similar interests?

Although everybody was so diverse, it seemed like these silly things united them all together.

Seungcheol was a bit taken aback when the shy dark-haired man and the fashionable Chinese one began a conversation about aliens.

Slowly, but surely, Seungcheol felt more and more welcomed into the group, even though he was way out of his comfort zone.

Joshua turned down the lights and set his fireplace ablaze to establish a tranquil mood and lighten up the atmosphere.

However, as interesting as it was to hear the others converse about subjects ranging from celebrity scandals to supernatural beings, Seungcheol couldn't seem to stay focused.

Why?

Only because there was a fair angel right beside him the whole time: Jeonghan.

With the perfect haze of the orange flames flickering in the fireplace and the cool, soothing air surrounding the room, Jeonghan looked absolutely stunning.

His features were so gentle, so delicate, so intricately detailed as if God spent years specifically crafting him to be perfect.

"Well there is this one that me and Seungcheol talked about."

Seungcheol snapped back into the conversation when he heard Joshua address his name.

"You all know soulmates, right? Well we have proof that it might be real. Seungcheol?"

Joshua turned his attention to the latter, smiling at him eagerly.

"Why don't you tell them the story of what happened to you?"

Seungcheol swallowed.

Was Joshua really serious?

Was Seungcheol really going to embarrass himself in front of a group of new friends, just to talk about some little fantastical experience of his?

Clearing his throat, Seungcheol stammered out, "Sure."

He ran his hands through his thick hair, looking at all the boys around him.

They all carried gentle smiles with their expressions, especially Jeonghan.

But before Seungcheol could melt into his gaze once again, he began to speak.

"Basically, it started when I was a kid. In my reflection, I'd sometimes see a boy in there that didn't look like me whatsoever. Over time, as I got older, it seemed like the boy in my reflection grew alongside me. I thought it was kinda stupid, like maybe I was going crazy and hallucinating, but Josh told me otherwise. Anyways, I saw this boy more frequently all up until the point of a few years ago. I stopped seeing him in my reflection, so yeah."

"To me it sounds like you've already met your soulmate then," addressed the freckled man.

"Yeah, like you saw him all the time until a few years ago? You must've met him a while ago then," the tiger-like one added in. 

Seungcheol turned beside him to Jeonghan; the blonde looked equally as intrigued as everybody else. 

"Well Cheol and I started working at the coffee shop a few years ago. I tried telling him before it might have been one of our customers, but he says he doesn't recognize any of those faces."

Joshua informed, the group nodding in response.

"It may have just been me being crazy or whatever. Even if soulmates were real, I doubt I'd even find mine."

Seungcheol replied, blushing at the attention he was getting.

"Hey, don't doubt yourself. You could never know. If I had a soulmate, I think that'd be the only thing on my mind."

Chuckled Jeonghan, patting Seungcheol's broad shoulder with his small delicate hand.

Seungcheol beamed a shy smile.

"Sorry, I'm not very good at explaining things."

"Don't worry about it. We all get it. You're blessed to have a soulmate, and surely you will find him again. ‘Cause it’s destined, you know?"

Jeonghan assured, his hand now trailing from Seungcheol's shoulder to down his arm, to settling and resting upon Seungcheol's palm. 

Seungcheol received a surge of warmth, whether from the fireplace, or Jeonghan's touch, it gave him the chills.

Why Jeonghan was so compassionate, Seungcheol didn't know. 

God really must've made the perfect creation.

All Seungcheol could think was that if Jeonghan had a soulmate too, whoever that person was would be the most blessed person in the world.


	14. Chapter 14

"I also have an incident similar to yours," spoke Jeonghan softly in the midst of the evening.

No, this statement wasn't addressed in front of the group of Joshua's edgy student comrades. 

It was directly to Seungcheol, lights all off, the two bunched up in the corner of the living room together.

This simple outing turned into a sleepover that Seungcheol wasn't aware of, but all the others were clearly more informed.

Seungcheol was honestly so tempted to just go home to let Joshua and his friends enjoy their night, but he was already this far out of his comfort zone, so there was no turning back.

Joshua had lent him some pajamas and a sleeping bag, as this wasn't the first time the latter stayed overnight. 

The boys were grouped into rooms, some sharing Joshua's with him or occupying the couch, while Jeonghan and Seungcheol were just so coincidentally partnered together in the snug corner of the living room.

It wasn't even their choice; who knew a game of group rock-paper-scissors could result in Seungcheol being sectioned in a small space with the boy he couldn't take his mind off of?

The night was rather cold, the dense air from the chill outside almost as thick as the tension between Jeonghan and Seungcheol's bodies.

Even though there were sleeping bags, carpet, and air separating them, they were still just so close.

"I didn't want to say it in front of the others though, I don't know them that well. At least I'm friends with you."

That title of _friends_ made Seungcheol's heart jump.

Just weeks ago, they were nothing more than customer and employee.

Him and Jeonghan were actually something more than associates, and the feeling was invigorating.

Even if it was so small, Jeonghan trusted Seungcheol enough to tell him something that no one else would know.

Seungcheol felt special. 

Maybe it was something about the atmosphere- the dark, quiet, cold room where the most the two could see were the highlights of each other's faces; this intensified the supposed-to-be mundane moment.

"When you talked about your soulmate, I had almost the exact same thing."

Jeonghan's voice was so soft that it barely even cut through the silent atmosphere.

He was naturally soft spoken, but his tone was even quieter now in order to not wake up the two boys asleep on the couch just meters away from them.

"Really? How so?"

Seungcheol whispered back, also afraid to awaken anyone. 

"Everything you said. Seeing someone in your reflection since you were young, and then suddenly it just stops? That's exactly what happened to me, and I thought I was crazy too until now when I heard you talk about it."

So Seungcheol wasn't alone after all.

For all these years thinking he was hallucinating or delusional, it turned out that this soulmate phenomenon might actually be real. 

"Do you remember anything of what your soulmate looked like?"

Seungcheol asked, to which Jeonghan paused, and then silently nodded.

"I think so. Last time I saw him though was a few years back. He had dark hair and big eyes and big ears. But that's all I can point out specific-wise. Do you forget sometimes too?"

"Yeah," replied Seungcheol, looking down at his hands.

He still couldn't believe that him and glorious Jeonghan were bonding over something Seungcheol used to think was so so irrelevant and stupid.

"All I remember about mine was that he had long hair, he was skinny, and he had brown eyes. It feels like forever since I've seen him in my reflection. It feels so weird actually talking about it. Like the more I try to describe him, the more I forget."

Seungcheol stammered, still not completely comprehending how his awkward self managed to spark up a conversation with this angel. 

"I get it. I always thought I was the only one experiencing this. Glad to know I'm not alone."

Jeonghan's noble grin seemed to shine brighter than the stars outside in the dark of the night.

"Now that I kinda think about it," Jeonghan paused, not completing his sentence.

Seungcheol cocked his head in confusion.

"Ah nevermind."

"Hey, no. Tell me what you were gonna say," Seungcheol encouraged, placing his hand on Jeonghan's narrow shoulder.

"It's stupid."

"Nothing you say is stupid."

Seungcheol didn't know what possessed him to be so forward with the blonde, but he managed to hang in the conversation.

"It's honestly best if I don't say anything. I might be pushing my luck."

Jeonghan sighed.

Seungcheol understood, refusing to pressure Jeonghan into speaking if he didn't want to.

After all they just became friends.

"Well, whoever your soulmate is, I hope you meet them."

Seungcheol replied as the blonde angel looked up and met his gaze, his gentle eyes twinkling through the night.

"You too," Jeonghan chuckled before turning around to face the wall.

With that, the two settled into their sleeping bags for the remainder of the evening.

Seungcheol hoped Jeonghan didn't know that he practically stayed awake all night long because of their conversation.


	15. Chapter 15

Seungcheol slowly blinked his big eyes open as he awoke, his bleary vision blurring the objects in the room around him.

As his sight began to focus and his hearing made the mumbling conversations in the living room more audible, Seungcheol scanned the area, all of the boys in there chatting.

Except Jeonghan and Joshua.

Seungcheol must have been the last one to wake up, as everyone else in the room seemed to lively and upbeat this early in the morning.

The other boys, of whom Seungcheol had finally learned their names- Minghao, Soonyoung, Wonwoo, and Seokmin- seemed to be casually hanging out.

Seungcheol figured Joshua and Jeonghan were still asleep.

But the more he thought about it, Joshua maybe, but Jeonghan?

He slept right beside Seungcheol last night.

Maybe Seungcheol kicked around too much and forced Jeonghan to go somewhere else to sleep.

He hoped that wasn't the case; it'd be incredibly embarrassing for him if so. 

Wonwoo was on the sideline of the conversation taking place, so Seungcheol figured he wouldn't interrupt the topic at hand, and ask him where the other two were.

"Hey, umm, Wonwoo?"

The dark haired man turned to Seungcheol, his long silky bangs brushing away from his deep eyes, face resting in a stern expression.

Wonwoo's intimidating looks took him aback, causing Seungcheol to stammer.

"Do you know where Josh and Jeonghan are by any chance?"

The atmosphere was eased when Wonwoo flashed a calming grin.

"They were just with us before you woke up, but then they decided to talk in Joshua's room for a bit."

Seungcheol nodded and thanked Wonwoo before standing up and stretching, rubbing his sleepy eyes and running his fingers through his thick brown locks.

It wouldn't hurt to just tip toe by Joshua's room really quick and grant him and Jeonghan a good morning greeting.

Seungcheol knew Joshua's house like the back of his hand, so it took no time to find his best friend's room.

The door wasn't exactly closed, but rather creaked open slightly.

Seungcheol was about to knock when he heard conversation emerging from inside the room.

Joshua and Jeonghan were both so soft spoken that Seungcheol almost had to press his ear up to the door to hear what was going on. 

One might think he was eavesdropping, but Seungcheol was simply just making sure the chatter wasn't grave enough to where it'd be obscene to interrupt it.

"I don't know. I can't believe this could be real. I've never thought of it that way."

Seungcheol distinguished that as Jeonghan's light feathery voice.

"Maybe it's the same both ways. After all, soulmates aren't a one-sided thing," he heard Joshua reply.

Seungcheol, immediately intrigued, listened in more, careful not to press on the door too hard and open it accidentally.

Soulmates?

Wasn't that conversation done with last night?

"It's just, everything is coming together now that I think about it. He looked exactly like him. I don't know what to do."

Jeonghan's voice emerged again, this time more shaky.

"Just talk to him about it."

"What if he doesn't believe me? You saw how confused he looked. He's clearly not a conspiracy person, let alone to believe in myths." 

“Well I don't know what else to tell you. Clearly, if you've been seeing him, then obviously he's been seeing you too and just hasn’t said anything. There's nothing wrong with bringing it up to him-"

"You know what, it's fine. Just forget I said anything."

"Jeonghan-"

"We've been in here too long and the others are probably getting suspicious. Seungcheol might be awake too."

That's when Seungcheol pulled away from the door and quickly headed to the living room to join the others in the clump they were sat in on the floor.

Just what were the two talking about?

Soulmates?

_Him?_

Who was _him_?

Were they arguing?

Seungcheol didn't have time to put two and two together as before his brain could process anything, Joshua and Jeonghan arrived back into the living room, makeup-free and in pajamas like everyone else.

Jeonghan sat betweeen Seungcheol and Wonwoo and Joshua squeezed himself next to Minghao and Soonyoung. 

"Good morning, Seungcheol."

Jeonghan smiled lovingly to the latter beside him.

"Hey. How did you sleep?"

Jeonghan then leaned over and rested his head on Seungcheol's broad shoulder.

"Could've been better. It seemed like my brain was awake all night long."

Seungcheol's breath caught in his throat. 

Jeonghan was so cold, so Seungcheol instinctively wrapped his arm around him.

Not only was Jeonghan warming up, but so was Seungcheol's heart.

Seungcheol didn't even realize he was smiling down at the blonde, nor did he notice he was rubbing gentle circles into his shoulder as well, until Joshua called his name and tore his focus off of Jeonghan.

"Cheol, would you be down to hang again like this next Saturday too? Everyone else seems available, and I know we don't work."

"Of course I'm down."

Seungcheol replied with no hesitation.

"I'm glad to be making new friends."

The others in the group grinned at Seungcheol, Jeonghan leaning into him even more. 

Yes Minghao, Wonwoo, Seokmin, and Soonyoung were all incredibly welcoming and friendly, and Joshua was always there for Seungcheol any day at any time, but Seungcheol thought he'd never get this close to Jeonghan.

The boy who was just a shy customer in the coffee shop at first was now snuggled against Seungcheol's shoulder at his best friend's house.

And if doing these meetups with all the boys again and again meant getting even closer to Jeonghan, Seungcheol would gladly participate.

However Seungcheol was so foolish, as he got so infatuated with Jeonghan himself, he completely forgot about the dialogue that he heard between him and Joshua earlier.

After all, that conversation wasn’t any of his business.

Perhaps he'd recollect upon it later, but at the moment, his mind and his heart were only clouded with the blonde boy beside him.


	16. Chapter 16

And so the week began, the fun times of the weekend now swept away in the past as Seungcheol had to start his day working at the coffee shop.

Joshua had notified Seungcheol at the sleepover that he shifted his college schedule again due to the quarter change, and he would have morning classes again to allow more time to work in the afternoon.

Seungcheol was glad, because even though Joshua would no longer open shop with him, Seungcheol could tell how staying up late for school and waking up early for work was taking its toll on his best friend.

The colder weather attracted more customers, and Seungcheol knew that today would be a busy boring shift for him until Joshua would come after his classes.

The only people tending to the shop this morning were Seungcheol, the manager, and a coworker who only worked every other day.

As Seungcheol was serving yet another warm beverage, he checked the time on the wall clock, indicating it was a bit past noon.

Jeonghan usually came in around that time.

Maybe he was sick, or traveling, or just not feeling coffee today.

But still, it was odd that he wouldn't show up; he's a regular.

For the past couple years, the latter would come pretty much every day around the same time.

Even if he didn't order anything, he'd still end up conversing with Seungcheol or Joshua.

By 2:00 pm, Seungcheol was on break, scrolling through his phone when he happened to receive a phone call.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Cheol."

It was Joshua on the other end.

"Oh hey, Josh. How's it going? You done with class yet?"

"Yeah, I just got out. But I think I'm gonna call in today."

Seungcheol was perplexed.

Joshua never missed work, other than the exception of having exams.

"Why? You sick or something?"

"Not exactly. I just have something that I gotta attend to."

Joshua was being oddly vague, which was incredibly unlike him.

"Family emergency? You know I'm always here-"

"I know, Cheol. A friend of mine hasn’t been feeling too well, so I’m just gonna take care of him a bit. He's coming over so I can help him out."

Joshua was so selfless, always prioritizing others over himself. 

From the minute him and Seungcheol became friends, to them living as adults side-by-side, Joshua was the best companion anyone could ever have in their life.

"Okay, do you still want me to come to your place after work?"

"He’d probably be home by then, so yeah. Even if not, you can still come. Keys are under the doormat."

Seungcheol was understanding, wished Joshua luck, and then continued with his shift until mid-afternoon, where conveniently his manager dismissed him early as business had grown stagnant by then.

Seungcheol sent Joshua a text indicating he was on his way.

Usually, Joshua would read and respond to the message the minute it was sent; it was like his phone was glued to him in any situation.

However, Joshua still hadn't read the message by the time Seungcheol walked up to the latter's front door.

Seungcheol hoped he wasn't interrupting anything important, especially if Joshua's friend was still over.

He lifted up the heavy doormat and picked up the front door key that Joshua always left there for him.

Just as he opened the door, he was met with Joshua sitting on the living room floor, alongside another individual.

A blonde haired individual with soft eyes and small lips and smooth skin and thin cheeks.


	17. Chapter 17

Seungcheol nearly gasped when he met eyes with the lovely blonde, the last person he expected Joshua to be with right now. 

"Oh, hey Jeonghan. Sorry am I interrupting something?"

Seungcheol stammered, fiddling with his hands.

So this was the friend who wasn’t feeling well?

Seungcheol was bewildered, yet embarrassed to be intruding in on Jeonghan and Joshua's seemingly serious conversation.

"Oh no it's all cool. It’s cool that you’re here anyways. Come sit with us," Joshua greeted, waving over the latter.

Seungcheol hesitantly stepped over and took a seat on the carpet between the two.

Jeonghan was awfully silent; he didn't even say hello, which was really unlike him.

His head was turned down, hands folded in his lap.

Seungcheol had never seen someone usually so joyous now so subdued.

Maybe he was sick.

The tension in the air would've been thick enough to cut with a knife if it weren't for Joshua's cheerful upbringing of a new topic.

"So how was work? I'm sorry I missed."

"You're good. It was busy around the morning as usual, but got slow later in the day."

It felt wrong not to include Jeonghan in the conversation, but Seungcheol wasn't sure what to say to invite him in, as the blonde was being super quiet.

"Hey Jeonghan," Seungcheol attempted to engage.

The latter raised his head slightly, soft brown eyes peeking through fluffy blonde bangs.

Seungcheol smiled uncertainly, confused about Jeonghan's sudden silence.

Maybe it wasn't any of his business, as he was clearly discussing with Joshua about something before Seungcheol intruded.

Jeonghan returned the gesture with a gentle grin, but the flare of joy in his expression seemed a bit muted.

"Everything okay?"

Seungcheol asked, softly placing his hand on Jeonghan's arm.

The blonde didn't tense at his touch, but rather let his shoulders relax, which must've been a good sign.

He let out a tired chuckle, and faced Seungcheol completely now, smiling with his teeth this time.

"I'm good. Today's just been a bit exhausting. Was just talking some things out with Josh to ease my mind, you know?”

Exhausting could be interpreted in any way.

Tired, depressed, stressed, frustrated, but Jeonghan's expression didn't read as any of those. 

"Well, I hope you feel better."

Seungcheol empathized.

He'd been in Jeonghan's situation too many times, with emotions all discombobulated resulting in mental breakdowns and exasperation. 

Although he didn't exactly know the specifics of Jeonghan's situation, all he had to refer to was the context Joshua provided him over the phone earlier.

The blonde scooted closer to him, Seungcheol responding to the action by wrapping his arm around Jeonghan's narrow shoulders.

"I feel better already," Jeonghan spoke out in the softest warmest tone that caused Seungcheol's heartbeat to race.

Seungcheol was never one to be so comforting to people; he was usually the one being consoled by Joshua all the time.

But this felt different.

Being there for someone so special felt so good.

Joshua shot his best friend a kind grin.

To ruin the light atmosphere, Seungcheol's phone buzzed.

He rolled his eyes and pulled it out of his pocket, not removing his arm embracing Jeonghan, and checked the notification.

It was an email from work saying they'd be closed the rest of the week for health inspections.

Seungcheol let Joshua know, his best friend's eyes sparking up with glee at the message.

"Well isn't that convenient. So do you guys wanna spend the night? I have no homework, and I can lend y’all PJ's."

"Just the three of us? And don't you have school tomorrow morning?"

Jeonghan questioned, simply turning his head to Joshua but unintentionally nuzzling against Seungcheol's shoulder.

"Yeah, just us. The boys are coming over Saturday anyways. And I have class but I'll probably be back home by the time you guys wake up tomorrow."

Seungcheol swore he spent more time at Joshua's house than his own.

With his mother almost never home, for years and years there was nothing to do there.

Every day was the same: wake up, work, see Jeonghan, go to Joshua's.

But Seungcheol wasn't necessarily complaining.

Life was good for him right now, making up for the emotional torment he made himself go through growing up.

Especially now that Jeonghan was in the picture, Seungcheol felt like his existence was purposeful to other people. 

He, of course, couldn't have gotten through it without Joshua's loving assistance.

Joshua provided him a safe space to be in, helped him get a job, helped him make friends, helped him break out of his comfort zone. 

Seungcheol was always worried that one day Joshua would transfer to a new college far away from where he lived, spontaneously move back to America, or abandon him.

The two had been best friends forever, and Joshua had given Seungcheol enough skills to get through life on his own if he had to. 

He had been relying on Joshua far too much, but it didn't seem to bother the latter.

Seungcheol made it up to this point: his best friend smiling to his left and a new interest on his shoulder to his right.

Seungcheol would take every chance he could now to sleep over, to meet new people, to try new things.

He'd have to thank Joshua for all that later.

But right now, the three boys were just settling on what activity they were to do to start their night.

However Seungcheol never stopped wondering as to _why_ Jeonghan wasn’t feeling well, and why his situation was so dire that Joshua had to miss work to attend to him.


	18. Chapter 18

Jeonghan's smile brightened throughout the evening, his initially subdued behavior completely dissipated by the end of the day.

Probably the positive energy radiating off of the two others helped up his mood.

Seungcheol remained puzzled as to why he even was like that in the first place.

Maybe he'd ask Joshua for specifics later, as the blonde seemed too joyful now to recollect on something probably troubling him earlier.

The three boys ate a bunch of snacks and watched some terrible sitcoms for a little bit, until Joshua announced that he was going to bed early for his class in the morning. 

Jeonghan and Seungcheol couldn't sleep a wink at the moment, yet waved Joshua good night as he went to his room.

As they heard his bedroom door shut, the silence in the atmosphere blanketed them.

Seungcheol never realized how bad he was sparking up a conversation without Joshua's influence until now.

That one night last weekend where Seungcheol and Jeonghan ended up talking about soulmates just between the two of them, Jeonghan ignited that topic, not Seungcheol.

Speaking of soulmates, should Seungcheol bring it up?

He never really forgot about that supposed-to-be secret conversation between Jeonghan and Joshua the last time he slept over.

He simply put the topic in the back of his mind and would bring it up when the time was right.

Well, Jeonghan and Seungcheol sat quietly in the living room together, nothing intruding in on any action they'd commit.

Awkward silence was filling the room, Seungcheol twiddling his thumbs and Jeonghan constantly running his hand through his hair out of habit. 

"So, what do you wanna do now?"

Jeonghan asked, breaking the silence.

Of course Jeonghan would have to say something first; it was pitiful how reliant Seungcheol was on others still.

They couldn’t help how painfully awkward they were though.

After all, their friendship was practically brand new, and they still had so much to learn about each other.

"I don't know. I'll do whatever you wanna do."

Why Seungcheol could never make a decision for himself, he had yet to know.

Why couldn't he just be assertive and ask Jeonghan about the soulmate thing that had been pricking at his mind for days now, who Jeonghan was talking to Joshua about, or why they were talking about it?

But then Jeonghan would know Seungcheol eavesdropped in on their conversation, and that wouldn't be a good impression to make on someone he was still getting to know better.

Why couldn’t Seungcheol ask why Jeonghan was acting so weird earlier, so quiet and timid and reserved, and was he behaving like that before Seungcheol even came over?

Seungcheol thought it was better to keep his mouth shut then.

Even if he was confused, staying quiet about it was better than making Jeonghan uncomfortable.

"I was actually thinking of changing up my look a bit. Josh and I have been talking about it too."

Jeonghan said pinching the ends of his wavy blonde bangs.

"How so?"

"I think I wanna dye my hair again. Would you help me?"

Seungcheol gulped at the thought of him and Jeonghan doing something together, just the two of them without Joshua as a mediator. 

"Right now?"

Seungcheol questioned.

It was obscenely late at night and the two were in pajamas; it wasn't like they could just walk outside to a nearby store and buy hair dye.

But that's exactly what they did.

Seungcheol could never say no to Jeonghan’s persistent pleas of “Come on Seungcheol” and “It’ll be fun”.

After all he didn’t know how Jeonghan was still truly feeling inside, and would honestly do whatever to erase any of his negative emotions. 

Seungcheol was so paranoid about Joshua waking up to finding the two not at home, but Jeonghan- who was relaxed about the whole thing- assured the latter that it was okay.

Seungcheol thanked God that Joshua lived near every appliance department possible as the walk wasn't too long from there and back.

During the chilly walk home, Seungcheol grew even more tense due to the few dark cars passing by them slowly.

He knew it was just the speed limit, and everything would be dimmer at this time, but he couldn't help but be worried.

He’s watched enough crime shows with Joshua to know the dangers of walking alone at night.

Jeonghan clearly sensed this and chuckled.

"It's okay, Cheol. We're almost home. Don't you walk to work everyday anyways? This can't be that bad."

"But I also don't walk at this time at night," Seungcheol replied.

The blonde then surprised Seungcheol by taking his hand in his, interlacing his delicate fingers with the latter's. 

Seungcheol turned to face him, relaxing at the reassuring grin on Jeonghan's face, his gentle grip on his hand tightening slightly.

His fingers were so slender and smooth compared to Seungcheol’s rather heavy rough ones.

Seungcheol couldn’t describe the emotion he was experiencing. 

Holding _Jeonghan’s_ hand while they walked all by their lonesome in the middle of the night on a cold street, it felt like a moment straight out of a drama.

Their hands remained interlocked until they got back to Joshua's house.

Somehow Seungcheol's clumsy self didn't make enough ruckus to awaken Joshua as they reentered the home.

And so, Seungcheol went through the challenging experience of learning how to dye Jeonghan's hair.

He was more so freaking out simply about the fact that his hands were running through Jeonghan's locks rather than the stinging chemicals he was using alongside doing so.

The hours were filled with constant giggles amongst constant hushes trying not to wake up Joshua.

“Is this even safe?”

Seungcheol asked as he lathered Jeonghan’s entire scalp in brown dye.

“Of course it is. Now focus so you don’t miss a spot! I don’t want patchy hair.”

Jeonghan chuckled in response.

There was so many things that Seungcheol had yet to try, yet to experience due to holding himself back nearly his whole life.

“Then why are you having me do this? I don’t know what I’m doing-“

“Shhh, you’re gonna wake up Josh.”

Stifled laughter followed, the bathroom echoing with giggles between the two boys.

Jeonghan told Seungcheol to wait in the living room while he washed and dried his new hair, wanting to surprise the latter on the results.

“If it looks bad you can’t blame me,” Seungcheol said before leaving the bathroom.

As he went back into the living room to sit on the couch, Seungcheol could only think about was how much he hoped they didn't make a big mess in Joshua's bathroom for him to wake up to.

Specks of dye had already stained his forearms, so he couldn’t begin to imagine how horrific the sink would look.

He just hoped Jeonghan would be careful enough in there not to stain anything.

Finally, moments later, Jeonghan entered the living room again.

Seungcheol couldn't believe his eyes.

Jeonghan looked the same but so so different at the same time.

He looked almost more familiar now for some reason, like he was even more of a well known face to Seungcheol.

His hair was now a pretty auburn that complimented his facial structure and made his eyes stand out more.

It was straight and fluffy and very similar to the color he had a few years back when the two first encountered at the coffee shop.

"Does it look good?"

Jeonghan asked, taking a seat beside Seungcheol on the couch.

"You look great," Seungcheol almost stammered. 

"You can touch it, you know."

Jeonghan suggested, taking a hold of Seungcheol's larger palm and guiding the latter's fingers through his new silky brown hair.

Seungcheol froze when he realized how close they now were.

He found himself delicately tucking Jeonghan's hair behind his ear, their faces a foot apart but it felt like centimetres.

Jeonghan's gaze was so warm and soft and melted Seungcheol's heart.

“See when I first bleached my hair to be blonde, it was so fried you have no idea. But this feels so much better.”

While Seungcheol's heartbeat raced a mile a minute, he swore- even through the darkness of the night- that Jeonghan's cheeks faded to a shade of pink.

The darker hair suited Jeonghan so well.

He was just so _endearing_.

He somewhat looked like someone Seungcheol recognized before, but he just couldn't pinpoint who exactly.


	19. Chapter 19

The night only grew later and later, but it didn't matter how high the moon was up in the sky, as the energy surrounding the two boys dictated how late they were to stay up.

Perhaps it was because of the sugary snacks they binged on with Joshua earlier that kept them energized throughout the night.

Or it could simply be the bond the two had discovered within the presence of one another.

Seungcheol and Jeonghan had the TV on low volume and were perched on the couch beside each other, watching a low budget movie using Joshua's Netflix account. 

Seungcheol could care less about what was occurring on the screen in front of him, as all his focus was on the auburn haired boy next to him with his head on Seungcheol's shoulder.

Their hands were right next to each other, pinky fingers micrometers from grazing upon one another.

Joshua was in deep sleep in the other room, so there was nothing that could possibly interrupt the two boys in this moment.

Seungcheol wondered if it would finally be the right time to ask Jeonghan about what occurred last weekend.

Maybe he could bring it up in a casual manner, not directly referencing Joshua and Jeonghan's previous conversation that he may or may not have eavesdropped in on.

But Seungcheol was not the greatest with words, at all.

"So, Jeonghan," Seungcheol began, his words cutting over the audio of the mumbled movie before them.

"When I got here, you were a bit quiet. You told me you were exhausted. I know you're feeling better now but do you mind telling me what was going on earlier?"

Seungcheol shocked himself that he managed to bring up a conversation topic.

Even if Jeonghan would shut him down and say he didn't want to talk about it, it was still a big step for Seungcheol to take.

Jeonghan sighed, removing himself from Seungcheol's shoulder and sitting up, muting the TV.

The two were close enough now that they could talk about some personal things, right?

They already talked about soulmates before; it wasn't like this could be too grave.

"Sure," Jeonghan began, running a hand through his hair.

The two now faced each other, Seungcheol trying his best to maintain eye contact even though he wasn't the best at it.

"You know last weekend, when we hung out with all the other guys?"

Seungcheol nodded, listening intently.

The only person who'd ever open up to Seungcheol was Joshua, so this was something new.

"This may sound silly. You know when we were telling our stories and stuff, like the conspiracies and myths and all that?"

Seungcheol, again, nodded wordlessly.

"Well, basically, that talk we had about soulmates really got me more invested into my experience. You know, the reflections and all, and why I stopped seeing the person in them."

Seungcheol had no idea where this conversation was going, but hearing Jeonghan talk about something Seungcheol used to view as so silly and fantastical was incredibly intriguing. 

"I thought about it a bunch and talked with Joshua about it too. I think I know who my soulmate is, and it completely freaks me out."

Jeonghan's resting grin faltered to a solemn expression.

“I know it’s probably not a big deal to you, since you don’t really seem to believe in these things too much. But it does mean a lot to me.”

"But, isn't it good to discover your soulmate?"

Seungcheol inquired.

Sure Seungcheol wasn't the most into urban legends, and tended to doubt his own soulmate experience quite a bit, but he was willing to believe as hard as he could into this as Jeonghan seemed very sincere.

"It is. But the thing is, the person. I know they don’t believe it’s real. Plus, I don't even think they’d see me that way at all."

Seungcheol remembered what he overheard with Jeonghan and Joshua last weekend, and decided to bring up a part he remembered.

"But soulmates are two-sided things."

"I know. Joshua told me that too. I'm still trying to figure some things out, to make sure it's really this person though."

Seungcheol nodded yet again in response.

"What about you?"

"Huh?"

"Do you know who your soulmate is?"

It had been forever since Seungcheol even bothered to think about his own possible soulmate.

"I don't know. There's only so much I can put together with a vague description of someone I saw years ago. They could've changed by now and that's why I can't recognize them."

"Could you describe them to me again? I don't really remember from last weekend."

Jeonghan was now staring deep into Seungcheol's eyes, his gaze twinkling with curiosity.

"Okay well, umm, it was a guy. He had rounder eyes and long brown hair at the time."

Seungcheol thought hard and tried his best to recollect on the memory of the long lost soulmate in his reflection. 

He found himself scanning over Jeonghan's face, his expression only lit up by the light of the TV.

He could never get over how much Jeonghan's light auburn hair complimented his appearance.

"He had these shiny brown eyes and smaller lips."

Seungcheol paused between descriptions, letting his gaze fall from Jeonghan's eyes to his soft pink lips.

It seemed like the image of the boy in his reflection from long ago was being pieced together easier now.

"He had a slimmer nose and like a lean facial structure, kinda like yours."

Seungcheol nearly stammered, his heart beginning to race.

Every feature he observed on Jeonghan's face, he spoke out and described exactly that.


	20. Chapter 20

"Umm, but yeah that's it. Let's try to get some sleep now."

Seungcheol cut himself off before he could describe anything else.

Diverting the attention off of him and changing the conversation topic was the only logical thing to get him to shut up where he was at.

He knew what he was doing.

He somehow mixed up the old image of his reflection with that of Jeonghan himself, and if he continued, the more it'd seem like Jeonghan was Seungcheol's soulmate.

Which totally was not a possible factor at all in Seungcheol's eyes.

Seungcheol figured he had just been staring at Jeonghan’s face for way too long and lost track of his train of thought.

Yes Jeonghan’s looks were captivating, but captivating enough to be a soulmate?

Impossible, false, never in a million years.

If soulmates were actually real and meant to be, wouldn't God- or whatever was predestining people to meet- set up partners who were actually compatible with one another?

Yes Jeonghan and Seungcheol were close, but they had nothing in common.

Or so Seungcheol thought.

After all they were still getting to know each other.

Jeonghan was so elegant and beautiful while Seungcheol was clumsy and awkward.

But there was still _so_ much Seungcheol didn’t know about Jeonghan. 

Anyways, the notion of Jeonghan being his soulmate was impossible, so Seungcheol quickly pushed the thought away from his mind.

After all, who would willingly want Seungcheol anyways?

"What's the point? There's no way we're gonna be awake before Josh leaves for school anyways. Let's keep talking."

Jeonghan smiled wider, eyes sparkling from the light of the TV. 

Seungcheol couldn't say no; he physically couldn't bring himself to deny Jeonghan in any way.

Seungcheol gulped, feeling his social awkwardness overtake him once more.

"We don't have to talk about soulmates anymore. I just have so much energy still."

Jeonghan spoke.

"Maybe we shouldn't have eaten that candy earlier then."

Seungcheol chuckled.

He was either gonna pull an all-nighter for the sake of the flawless boy in front of him, or he could be a complete jerk and ignore what Jeonghan wanted.

Option 1 was the way to go.

After all, Seungcheol did want to get closer to Jeonghan; maybe one day they'd be as close as him and Joshua were.

The night droned on as 3:00 am turned to 4:00, the two boys rambling on and on about their interests and hobbies.

Turns out they both liked the same music, the same TV shows, the same sports teams. 

Seungcheol started feeling more confident in his conversing abilities; he didn't need Joshua anymore for him to talk to Jeonghan by himself.

Finally, a yawn escaped Jeonghan's lips as they finished the movie they had on mute for a while. 

"Tired now?"

Seungcheol asked, almost wanting to awe at how cute sleepy Jeonghan was.

The auburn haired boy nodded drowsily, rubbing his eyes.

"There's no way we're going to wake up at any reasonable time tomorrow. Josh was right," Jeonghan chuckled softly.

"Then let's get some sleep now before we're in here all day tomorrow."

Seungcheol suggested, turning off the TV.

It seemed like the two had the same realization at the same moment, and didn't even need to communicate to establish so.

Where were they going to sleep?

The sleeping bags and extra blankets were in Joshua's closet in his bedroom, and neither of the two wanted to go in there and potentially wake him up.

The two options were the couch and the floor.

The couch wasn't too wide, and Seungcheol remembered how Soonyoung and Wonwoo slept there last time they were over.

They were practically on top of one another.

Seungcheol had no problem occupying the floor, but on a chilly night with no blankets?

He'd have to bear it.

Of course he'd give Jeonghan the priority; the couch did seem like a better option after all.

"You can have the couch. I'll just go on the floor somewhere."

"No," Jeonghan stopped him by grabbing Seungcheol's wrist.

"It's stiff and too cold to be down there. Both of us can just stay up here."

And so, attempting to lay directly side by side on the couch was a harrowing experience for both of them.

The final position they settled on was Seungcheol laying straight on his back while Jeonghan's head laid upon his chest with a leg lolled over the latter.

"Are you sure you're comfortable?"

Seungcheol asked.

Of course Seungcheol was comfortable.

With Jeonghan snuggling against him like that, he felt out of this world and was baffled that he was actually this close with him.

He never knew Jeonghan could be so _touchy_.

"Yep, I'm good," Jeonghan replied, nuzzling his head against Seungcheol's chest and laying his hand upon Seungcheol's abdomen, gripping the latter's shirt slightly.

Jeonghan couldn't see it, but Seungcheol had the most wholesome smile on his face at the moment.

Their newfound friendship just made him _so_ happy.

He unconsciously brought his right hand up to play with Jeonghan's silky hair as the two tried their best to fall asleep.

In a short minute, Jeonghan was breathing softly, his grip on Seungcheol's shirt relaxing, his palm now laying flat on Seungcheol's stomach. 

Just before Seungcheol closed his eyes, he- so boldly- placed his left hand on top of Jeonghan's, momentarily caressing over the soft knuckles beneath his fingers.

He honestly didn’t know what compelled him to do such a thing, but never questioned himself further.

It may not have been the most convenient of situations to be in, as being crammed on a small couch with a person you were still getting to know seemed like a nightmare.

Nonetheless, Seungcheol knew he was going to get some great sleep tonight.


	21. Chapter 21

"Hello? You two?" 

Seungcheol's eyes opened to a blurry silhouette of Joshua waving his hand in front of his face.

Seungcheol slept so well on that small, crammed couch that he almost forgot about the hazy eyed angel laying almost directly on top of him.

"Hmm? What time is it?"

Jeonghan's morning voice was deep, but sweet and feathery, and the sound of it so close to Seungcheol's ear gave him the chills.

"It's 8:00. I'm leaving for class. Y'all can go back to sleep but I just wanna make sure you know I’m gone. And Jeonghan, I'm not even gonna ask about the hair. I’m just hoping you didn’t make a mess."

Jeonghan let out a soft chuckle, nuzzling his head against Seungcheol's broad chest as if it were a pillow: an action he's done so much at this point but it never failed to make Seungcheol's heart skip a beat.

"We didn’t don’t worry. Bye Josh, good luck."

Seungcheol said, his voice husky from just waking up.

"Alright, peace."

Seungcheol still had to allow his vision to focus, but he heard the shutting of the front door as the signal that Joshua left.

"Are we going back to sleep?"

Jeonghan asked, his voice so small and delicate now that Joshua was gone, his hand rubbing small circles on Seungcheol's stomach.

They had barely moved from the position they fell asleep in, which was unusual as Seungcheol tended to be a wild sleeper.

"If you wanna."

Seungcheol brought his hand up and massaged into Jeonghan's hair- just like he did before they fell asleep- and smiled down at the latter.

He ran his fingers through Jeonghan's silky auburn hair- the feel of it was so soft and Seungcheol could never get enough of it- and finally met his stare.

His pupils were dilated in irises that almost matched his hair color, a wholesome yet sleepy smile rested upon his lips, his cheeks slightly puffy from sleep, adding to his youthful appearance.

 _I'll never get over how cute you look with this hair_ , Seungcheol thought to himself while still unconsciously playing with Jeonghan's locks.

"Thanks," Jeonghan giggled.

It was just then where Seungcheol felt his cheeks burning up.

He wanted to dig a hole in the ground and bury himself in it for the rest of eternity.

"Did I just say that out loud?" 

Seungcheol wanted to disappear as he was just embarrassing himself even further.

"Is that what you think about me, Cheol?"

Jeonghan teased, poking Seungcheol's chest.

"No! I mean, yeah? I mean-"

Jeonghan playfully put a finger to Seungcheol's lips, shushing him.

Seungcheol felt hot blush creep upon his cheeks, his ears burning; he couldn't believe he was acting like such an idiot in front of such an angel.

"It's okay. Thank you for the compliment."

Jeonghan flashed a precious toothy grin and Seungcheol swore his heart stopped.

He didn't have romantic feelings for Jeonghan at all, so his erratic behavior around him was inexplicable. 

"Now are we going back to sleep or not?"

Jeonghan inquired, changing the topic.

"I mean if we do at this point, we'll be asleep until evening."

Seungcheol suggested.

"But then we're just gonna be tired throughout the whole day," Jeonghan pouted.

That cute expression impaled Seungcheol's heart and threw it away.

"Better that than having a messed up sleeping schedule for the rest of the week, right?"

Seungcheol suggested, Jeonghan sighing and nodding in response.

"You're right," Jeonghan spoke, brushing Seungcheol's thick bangs away from his face.

His fragile hand had barely caressed Seungcheol's cheek in the slightest action, almost paralyzing the latter.

The two then sat up and stretched, displeased that they couldn't stay in that position any longer, but it was for the better.

If they remained in the embrace of one another for another minute, they could be out cold for days.

Something was so comforting, so homely about cuddling with Jeonghan.

But boys cuddled like this all the time, Jeonghan wasn’t special. 

"Did you sleep well? I hope I didn't take up too much space."

Jeonghan uttered, scooting over to sit cross legged.

"No it was fine. I slept...perfectly."

Seungcheol's voice trailed off, but remained audible enough for Jeonghan to hear.

The auburn haired boy's eyes lit up and he smiled shyly, another habit that Seungcheol had picked up on noticing from being with the latter.

Seungcheol went to fix him and Jeonghan some tea while the latter scrolled for a new cheesy Netflix movie to put on the TV.

The next few hours consisted of breathy laughter from chamomile-stained lips.

Jeonghan sat on the couch while Seungcheol perched on the floor in front of him, allowing Jeonghan to play with his thick hair as they watched the movie.

They had gotten so close in a matter of hours.

Seungcheol was honestly proud of himself on how social he was being, how inviting he presented himself to Jeonghan for the other boy to want to hang out with him so much.

"Seungcheol can I ask you something?"

Jeonghan inquired out of the blue, removing his smaller hands from Seungcheol's locks.

"Yes?"

Seungcheol turned around confused, looking up at Jeonghan.

"I know this is random, but do you happened to remember the last time you saw your soulmate in your reflection?"

Such an odd question indeed.

Maybe the movie reminded Jeonghan of soulmates someway, as to why he brought the topic up.

Seungcheol wouldn't really know anyways; he was less focused on the movie and more-so attentive to the feeling of Jeonghan's delicate hands in his hair.

"Umm, I think it was a bit after when I first started working at the coffee shop. So, probably three and a half years ago?"

Had time gone by so fast?

Had it been that long since he met Jeonghan?

Had it taken that long to actually get to know Jeonghan?

Of course Seungcheol could never forget the first day Jeonghan came into the shop.

Seungcheol was still a rookie employee at the time; he remembered how he stammered over all his sentences, fumbled with his actions, got constantly shy with customers.

He remembered Jeonghan's long long brown hair, his shy smile, his glowing cheeks.

He remembered how Jeonghan tucked his hair behind his ear, how he constantly looked down, how his fingers brushed against Seungcheol's when he handed him his first order.

"Why do you ask?"

"Oh nothing. Just wondering."

Jeonghan's voice trailed off into a whisper, but Seungcheol still clearly heard him.

The two then resumed watching the movie and Jeonghan continued playing with Seungcheol's hair.

So much had happened in the past few days that Seungcheol couldn't even process this last conversation.

Why was Jeonghan asking _him_ about soulmates so much?

Maybe he would understand eventually, but it would definitely take some time.


	22. Chapter 22

The rest of the week was quite dull for Seungcheol.

He was still off of work, and Joshua was attending a few extra lectures for upcoming exams, making him unable to hang out with Seungcheol.

However he quickly found a solution to his boredom.

Something good came out of the last sleepover.

Seungcheol got Jeonghan's phone number.

The two had texted a few times throughout the week, all around the same time that Jeonghan would usually come to the coffee shop.

Jeonghan would always text first, which eased Seungcheol as he was still unsure on igniting a conversation topic.

Seungcheol was on his couch, texting Jeonghan about some random things he wouldn't remember the next day.

They had been messaging each other for close to an hour now; Seungcheol just wished it could've been in person.

He wanted to see Jeonghan's bright smile, feel his delicate hands, touch his soft hair.

But that would have to wait.

He was already going to see Jeonghan on Saturday, but of course alongside Minghao, Soonyoung, Wonwoo, Seokmin, and Joshua. 

Seungcheol didn't want to be too pushy or invade Jeonghan's space too much.

After all, there could be more productive things that Jeonghan does with his life. 

**"seungcheol?"**

**Jeonghan texted out of the blue, ceasing their previous innocent conversation on their favorite TV shows.**

**_"yeah?"_ **

**"can i call you?"**

**_"of course."_ **

Not long after, his phone rang, Seungcheol picking it up with no hesitation.

"Hey Jeonghan. What's up?"

"Dude, you're not gonna believe what I found."

Jeonghan sounded almost fervent.

"What is it?"

"My childhood journals, all the way up until about a few years ago. I was just cleaning my room and they were all under my bed."

Seungcheol was just about to ask how this applied to him at all, but Jeonghan continued.

"I wrote so much about my soulmate. I drew pictures and everything. I only skimmed through it right now, but it’s still crazy."

"That's cool. Maybe that can help you be certain on who your soulmate is. Did you tell Josh?"

Seungcheol still wasn't the firmest believer of soulmates like Jeonghan, but he tried his best for him.

After all, when Seungcheol did see his soulmate in his reflection years ago, he had been going through a really hard time emotionally.

He always thought his mind was just creating an illusion to make up for his lack of childhood and social life.

If anything, Joshua knew about this stuff so much better than Seungcheol did, so it confused him that Jeonghan reached out to him instead about it.

"No, he's at school right now and I don't wanna interrupt. But I think this is a sign! Like God or something is trying to lead me to my soulmate again. I figured you'd believe me since you had an experience too."

Jeonghan sounded so enthusiastic; it was adorable.

Just hearing the glee in his voice through the phone speaker was enough to warm Seungcheol's heart.

"That's real cool. You think you can show me sometime?"

"I was hoping to on Saturday. Maybe we can find time away from all the others again."

Seungcheol smiled to himself.

At least Jeonghan would find _his_ soulmate.

Seungcheol was still stuck in a state of foggy memories colliding with Jeonghan's image trying to decipher the visual he may or may not had actually seen in his reflection years ago.

But good for Jeonghan.

He deserved a soulmate.

He deserved someone perfect for him, that would love him and cherish him until the end of time.

But Seungcheol couldn't ignore the sting he felt in his chest imagining someone else looking Jeonghan in the eyes like the way he did.

A bitter taste filled his mouth at the thought of someone else getting to hold Jeonghan in their arms, caress his fragile hands, massage his soft hair.

It was an inexplicable feeling Seungcheol felt, but all thoughts were out of the picture when he heard the door knob at his front door turning.

"Jeonghan, I have to go now. Someone's at the door. I'll see you Saturday."

Quickly hanging up the phone, he approached the door, it opening before him.

Standing before him in a heavy trench coat alongside two briefcases was his mother.


	23. Chapter 23

Seungcheol's large eyes met with a tired aged gaze, and he immediately ran up to his mother, embracing her in a hug.

She had gotten so small in his arms now; it felt like years since he's seen her.

"Eomma, you're home! I thought you weren't coming back until next week," Seungcheol exclaimed, expression bright and happy.

He had been so occupied with work, with Joshua, with growing up, with Jeonghan, that he has never been home at the same time as his mom as of late.

She had been working from city to city for a while, and remained in a constant state of travel so she could barely make time to see her son.

Seungcheol would always be out of the house when she would be home for her short breaks in between work.

"Yes, I am. Let's sit down, Cheollie."

Seungcheol took her coat and suitcases, and escorted her to the sofa.

He never realized how lonely his home was without his mother there. 

He had been out so much that his house didn't even feel like home.

"I have to tell you something."

She said, taking a seat and holding one of Seungcheol's hands.

Her soft hands now carried some weight, her gentle face obtaining wrinkles.

Seungcheol listened intently, basking in the warm presence of his mom.

"You know I've been travelling much for work."

Seungcheol nodded, eager to listen what she was going to say.

He was praying she'd finally retire, let Seungcheol take care of her, and let her relax the decades she worked off of ends meet to provide for her son.

"So good news, I finally found a stationary job that pays really well, and I won't have to travel all the time anymore."

Her voice carried glee, yet anticipation.

"That's so great, Eomma. Does that mean-"

"I'm not finished."

Seungcheol tightened his grip on her hand, looking into his mother's eyes.

"The promotion I got put me in a location in the United States. I will be working abroad from here on."

Seungcheol's heart sunk.

Sure he didn't see his mom much, but now he wouldn't see her at all. 

She was going to be in the US while Seungcheol stayed here, alone.

"You've grown so mature Seungcheol, and I believe you can handle being completely on your own."

In this moment, Seungcheol felt like the hopeless child he truly was.

One thing he looked forward to in his day was his mother's phone call and speaking with her, even if were only for a minute.

"I know what you're going to say, so don't bother addressing it. I'm gonna be okay."

His mother had always been so intelligent; it was as if she could read the concerns racing through Seungcheol's mind.

"But hey you've made it this far along! You've made friends, I'm sure you're still always with Joshua, and you have a good job."

Seungcheol didn't want her to leave again.

He never knew how much he missed her presence until she was right here before him.

"But Eomma-"

"Don't worry, I'll still call you. The time difference will be weird, but I’ll always be in contact."

She smiled, an expression that carried so much power.

She pulled Seungcheol into a hug, and held it for what felt like hours.

"When do you leave?"

"Next Wednesday. My supervisor has been coordinating this for months now. I came home early so I'd still have time with you."

Seungcheol wanted to cry.

Memories flashed through his head of him as a child, alone, with no friends, doing nothing but staring in the bathroom mirror to see his reflection.

He had much more time with his mother as a child, and he didn't know why he wouldn't take advantage of that.

If he didn't spend so much time staring at his damn reflection all the time, maybe he could've had one more conversation, one extra hug from his mom.

Seungcheol cringed at how ignorant he was as a child, but decided to focus on the present.

He only had so little time before his mother would work far far away from him. 

And Seungcheol would have to grow up on his own again.


	24. Chapter 24

Seungcheol was absolutely adoring spending the past couple days with his mother.

He felt like he was making up for the childhood he barely had.

Being around her was splendid, and it made him revisit the euphoric feeling he had for such short moments as a kid.

But, he soon found himself in a predicament.

On Saturday, he had plans to hang out with Joshua, _with Jeonghan_ , and his friends, just like they did the week prior.

Seungcheol didn't want to leave his mother's side, as he probably wouldn't see her for a very long time after she left.

He wanted to cherish these days with her while he could, as the ignorant child-version of himself didn't know any better.

It was Saturday morning, Seungcheol and his mom sat together in the living room watching TV.

He felt terrible, as if his mind was between a crossroads.

He promised Joshua he'd hang out.

He promised Jeonghan he'd see him.

He promised all the other friends that he'd meet them again.

"Eomma," Seungcheol began, turning to his mom.

She hummed in question, awaiting for her son to speak.

"I really wanna spend these last few days with you before you have to leave, but I already made plans with friends for today. I was thinking of cancelling though so I can stay here. What should I do?"

For the first time in decades, Seungcheol asked his mother for advice.

He had to grow up on his own, answer his own questions.

He was rebuilding his adolescence in this exact moment more than he ever had throughout the 23 grueling years of his life.

His mother chuckled, patting Seungcheol's head.

"Seungcheol, I love you so much. You're such a caring boy for wanting to spend time with me. But your prior plans come first. It's just one day. Also, I could use more resting time."

With her reassurance, he felt less guilty going off to hang out.

Honestly, he would feel somewhat bad to cancel on all the others last minute.

Jeonghan had been so excited over the phone; Seungcheol remembered all the stuff Jeonghan had prepared to show him, to talk to him about.

To have another close moment with the angelic boy made Seungcheol's insides flutter.

Although he was dismissing the presence of his own mother for some little conspiracy chats with friends, his mom deemed it okay, which Seungcheol would then proceed with.

Before he knew it, Seungcheol was already at Joshua's house alongside Minghao, Soonyoung, Wonwoo, and his best friend himself.

While awaiting for Seokmin and Jeonghan to arrive, he engaged in some small talk with the other four.

"So, have any of you guys seen each other since last week?"

Soonyoung inquired, beginning the conversation.

"I hung out with Shua a bit," Minghao answered.

"Same here. I hung out with Jeonghan too," Seungcheol added.

"Speaking of Jeonghan, Seungcheol, I did wonder something. Did you know Jeonghan at all before we all met last week?"

Soonyoung asked, putting the small group's focus on Seungcheol.

He wasn't as startled with himself being the center of attention as he thought he would.

"We did encounter a few-" _understatement_ "-times at the coffee shop I work at. But since hanging out here we got a lot closer."

"Cool. I've just noticed you two hanging out together last time and wondered if you were like secret besties. But it's cool that you’re getting close," Soonyoung finished.

Before Seungcheol could proceed with the conversation, there was a knock at the front door.

Joshua got up and happily greeted Seokmin and Jeonghan, both with gorgeous bright smiles on their faces.

Especially Jeonghan.

Well, he was always gorgeous.


	25. Chapter 25

The group was finally together, all seven boys gathered together in the living room, varieties of incessant chatter filling the air.

Jeonghan was talking with Wonwoo and Soonyoung at the moment, but Seungcheol didn't fret, as he knew he was guaranteed alone time with the auburn haired boy later.

"So guys," Joshua started, "now that everyone is here, what do you wanna do?"

"Well last week I'm sure we talked about everything under the sun. What else could we do?" Seokmin inquired.

"Actually I have some drama. Do you guys wanna hear?"

Soonyoung asked with a cheeky grin on his face.

And so, the boys huddled together to listen to Soonyoung ramble about how he somehow almost got in a fight twice at college.

During his talk, Jeonghan scooted over next to Seungcheol on the floor, grabbing his hand and running his fingers over Seungcheol's knuckles.

"Hey," Jeonghan whispered, careful not to interrupt Soonyoung. who had all the attention on him.

Seungcheol could just feel the warmth in his voice, could almost see sugar upon his lips because his tone was so sweet.

"Hi," Seungcheol replied quietly, meeting eyes with the latter while also trying to listen to Soonyoung.

"So other than what we're probably gonna do today with all the others, when do you think I'll have the time to show you those?"

Jeonghan's eyes darted towards his bookbag at the other side of the room, a gesture referring to the fact that he brought his past soulmate entries for him and Seungcheol to rummage through.

"In like a few hours everyone will separate into couples like last time. Let's just do whatever Josh decides right now."

Seungcheol replied, returning with a gentle grip on Jeonghan's soft hand.

Jeonghan nodded as the two listened to Soonyoung finish his story.

This somehow led to all the boys telling stories of any drama they had in their lives, any silly specific gossip that caused variations of reactions.

Joshua and Minghao eventually left to bring home food for the group, so while the remainder of the boys waited, they strayed off into different areas in the house doing whatever.

Soonyoung and Seokmin occupied Joshua's room to watch videos on their phones and Wonwoo stayed in the kitchen reading a book he brought with him.

This left Jeonghan and Seungcheol alone together in the living room.

Just like the last time they hung out.

That day where Jeonghan had started off emotionally distressed, and it eventually turned into an evening of giggles, hair dying, and tale-telling. 

"I didn't think we'd have alone time this early," Jeonghan chuckled, his bookbag in his hands.

"I'm not complaining. But we are kinda on a time crunch until Josh and Minghao come back."

Seungcheol replied, turning on the couch to face the latter.

Jeonghan had a light tint of pink on his cheeks, his hair silky and parted neatly, his delicate fingers fumbling around with his bag.

Whether the rouge upon his skin was makeup or natural blush, he was still effortlessly gorgeous.

Every little thing he did was so angelic and graceful.

"I'm just so excited to show you these. I'd figure you might relate since you had a soulmate experience too."

"You haven't told Josh yet?"

Seungcheol questioned, to which Jeonghan shook his head in response.

"I mean, Josh is great and everything, but you know, some things I just wanna keep between us two."

His voice trailed off a bit as he tucked his hair behind his ear.

"Anyways, let's get to this."

Jeonghan pulled out four journals from his bag, the more worn they were indicated how old they were.

"These two-" Jeonghan began, referring to the two pink books, "-were from my childhood up to being a teenager."

He then gestured to two blue journals. 

"And these were from my teenage years to just about a few years ago, probably a few months after I stopped seeing my soulmate."

Seungcheol then scrolled through dozens of pages of different penmanship, glossing over vague descriptions of how Jeonghan saw his soulmate.

Every instance he wrote of was so specific, almost a complete replica of how Seungcheol saw his.

Maybe everyone had the exact same experience, which is why Seungcheol found himself relating so much to the content in Jeonghan's journals.

Seungcheol wondered if all soulmates found each other the same way, and what they'd do when they'd meet.

The two also shared some laughs over Jeonghan's questionable drawings of his soulmate: a stick figure with big eyes, big ears, and a mop of hair.

They only made it to the first two journals before Joshua and Minghao arrived back home, Jeonghan managing to scramble quick enough to shove the books back into his bag before they could see and inquire.

Seungcheol thought- if anything- the last journal should be the most crucial.

It was the most recent, and it would probably include a more mature perspective of Jeonghan's livelihood, on how Jeonghan saw things, on how Jeonghan felt when he stopped seeing his soulmate.

He wondered if Jeonghan's heart stopped when he no longer saw the opposing boy in his reflection, just like his.

But just like last Saturday, Seungcheol was promised more alone time with Jeonghan later in the afternoon.

He would just have to be patient, and maybe he'd find some answers.


	26. Chapter 26

The group of boys multi-tasked, using their afternoon to eat takeout and play video games on the console that Wonwoo brought along.

Seokmin and Soonyoung were yelling playfully while mashing buttons on their controllers, desperately trying to defeat one another at the fighting game they were playing.

Wonwoo was eating his food on the couch, laughing at the two making a spectacle.

Minghao had his head resting on Joshua's shoulder, Joshua playing with his long fluffy hair as they too watched Soonyoung and Seokmin.

This left Seungcheol and Jeonghan together by the wall, still engaging with the group, but just slightly more off to the side. 

No matter the situation, they always seemed to end up right next to each other.

As if they were destined to be.

"Seungcheol, Jeonghan, you guys want next round?"

Seokmin offered, gesturing the controller towards them.

"I'll pass, thank you."

Jeonghan replied politely, Seungcheol along with him.

Seokmin then turned to offer Wonwoo, who gladly obliged to the challenge.

"If you guys wanna do something on your own you can," Joshua suggested, facing Jeonghan and Seungcheol, but not shifting enough to disturb Minghao on his shoulder.

"I only have so much planned for the day. We'll probably do something organized later. My room’s open if you guys wanna gossip."

Joshua chuckled.

Joshua was always so kind, so generous, and it was almost like he knew Seungcheol and Jeonghan had earlier plans intended for today.

Jeonghan's eyes twinkled and a smile rose on his face.

He grabbed his bookbag and headed down the hall to Joshua's room, Seungcheol trailing behind him.

The two perched on Joshua's bed, not closing the door completely in case Joshua needed them.

Jeonghan pulled out the newest blue journal from his bag.

"Now where were we?"

Seungcheol found himself dozing off into Jeonghan's cute smile rather than paying enough attention to the object in his hands: a book that contains dozens of memories, clues, and credibility to the whole soulmate notion.

"Feel free to skim through and just stop when the pages are blank. Tell me if you can relate to anything else."

Jeonghan handed Seungcheol the journal.

Seungcheol's hands delicately turned pages as his eyes analyzed some more messy drawings and neat writing.

It was quite repetitive, the same experience of how he saw his soulmate in his reflection all these times.

Until Seungcheol stopped flipping pages so quickly and actually read in depth.

_I tried this new coffee place today, figuring I need caffeine to get him off my mind. The worker at the register was sweet. His name tag said Seungcheol. He was so friendly and kind, and I don't know why but I got really shy around him, and I'm never shy. He had really big eyes like the one in my reflection, only his hair was a bit different. Whatever, all guys look alike these days anyways. I didn't see the guy in my reflection when I got home like I usually would. Maybe the coffee helped. I'll definitely be coming back to this place though._

Seungcheol decided not to bring this page up to Jeonghan. 

Perhaps the latter forgot he even wrote about it.

"Did you get scared too when you stopped seeing it?"

Jeonghan spoke, his voice so soft it could've been a whisper.

What a coincidence that Seungcheol turned to one of the last written pages of the journal: an entry expressing Jeonghan's uneasiness since he stopped seeing his soulmate in his reflection.

"Yeah. Mainly because I didn't know who it could be. Like, I've dealt with so many customers that it was weird if I was soulmates with someone I've barely encountered with."

Seungcheol replied and kept reading along.

He swallowed a gasp when he made it to the last page.

The date written on it was from last Sunday, years after Jeonghan stopped seeing his soulmate.

Did Jeonghan even remember including this?

Was this even intended to be a journal entry?

Jeonghan noticed Seungcheol took a longer time to read this page.

"What? What does it say? Did I write something weird all those years ago?"

He chuckled lightly, scooting closer to Seungcheol.

Seungcheol began reading the page aloud, anticipating what his eyes were to eventually reveal to him.

_His large eyes, his big ears, his nice lips, his thick dark hair, it all makes sense. I've had doubts from the day we met that it could be him, but after yesterday, I'm certain. This must be why I'm so in love with him. After talking about it with Josh, I finally get it, and everything is piecing together in my head. Laying in his arms feels right, holding his hand is liberating, any chance we can be together is so healing. I'm still scared, in fact, incredibly scared. But soulmates aren't a one-sided thing. I don't know if he knows, or if he'll feel the same yet. At least I'll know for myself that Seungcheol is my soulmate._


	27. Chapter 27

As Jeonghan's written words escaped Seungcheol's lips, it took Seungcheol no more than a second to process everything he had just read.

Jeonghan was his soulmate?

How could he be so sure?

How was Jeonghan seeing all the signs but Seungcheol wasn't?

Or maybe Seungcheol was, but didn't understand what they meant.

Thousands of thoughts flew through Seungcheol's mind as an invisible weight crushed his chest, took the rhythm away from his heartbeat, and sucked the air from his lungs.

Seungcheol tore his eyes away from the journal, meeting Jeonghan's gaze.

Judging by his expression, Seungcheol was not supposed to read that.

Jeonghan's face was contorted in an image Seungcheol had never seen of him before.

His eyes were wide and confused, cheeks flaring red, his eyebrows raised in embarrassment.

His whole body froze apart from quivering lips.

Jeonghan did say that he only skimmed through the journals barely; perhaps he forgot he jotted this entry down in this particular book. 

Seungcheol felt a fire ignite inside him, burning his soul and tensing the air.

He didn't know whether it was a good or bad feeling.

"Jeonghan?"

He managed to barely speak out.

It was hard maintaining eye contact with Jeonghan.

His eyes were filled with an energy that made Seungcheol feel guilty.

He looked scared and confused; for once Seungcheol could not read his expression.

"I shouldn't have written that."

Jeonghan's spoke in hardly a whisper, his volume wavering, his voice trembling along with his lips.

"Jeonghan-"

"I'm sorry."

Jeonghan stammered over his words as he visibly got more flustered.

His whole face had turned a shade of scarlet, his frantic eyes becoming absorbed with glassiness.

Seungcheol's been there before, where you're so embarrassed that you can't help but cry.

But there was nothing to be embarrassed about; Seungcheol just wished he could say that to Jeonghan, but his voice seemed to be just a choked up as the latter's.

Jeonghan pursed his lips, trying to blink his eyes dry, only to dampen his long eyelashes.

"This is so embarrassing. I'm so sorry. You weren't meant to see that. I completely forgot I wrote it."

Seungcheol had never seen Jeonghan in such distress.

It made him feel horrible.

The soft cheeks that were meant to be littered with kisses were now moments away from being speckled with tears.

The delicate hands that were meant to be held were now shaking.

The fragile body that was meant to be embraced in Seungcheol's arms was now trembling in anxiousness.

Seungcheol thought _he_ was overthinking this too much, but who knew Jeonghan could feel such ways too?

He supposed they actually had a lot more in common than he thought, no longer just with personal interests, but with emotions too.

But if Seungcheol and Jeonghan really were soulmates, why was Jeonghan so embarrassed?

 _I'd be embarrassed to have me as a soulmate too_ , Seungcheol thought, as in his mind he always knew Jeonghan deserved better.

But he seemed so upset.

Weren't soulmates supposed to be happy revelations?

To be fair, in the journal Jeonghan not only expressed that Seungcheol was definitely his soulmate, but he had professed that he was in love with him too.

And Joshua did say being soulmates didn't necessarily mean being in love with one another.

Soulmates were companions who were there to cherish you, to protect you, to complete you, to help you live life to the fullest.

Never once was it specified that you had to fall in love with said companion.

Seungcheol knew he had a special adoration for the latter, but never deciphered whether it was love or simply admiration.

Jeonghan was truly something special.

He was a precious porcelain doll, and here Seungcheol was, watching him shatter into a million pieces.

Jeonghan grabbed the journal and held it to his chest, rubbing his eyes with his sleeve quickly.

"Jeonghan, it's okay that you feel this way. Let's talk about it."

Seungcheol tried conveying in the most gentle voice possible in fear of the little angel being hurt even more.

"No, Cheol, I'm wasting your time here. Besides, I'm not even sure if you're supposed to be mine."

Jeonghan whimpered, his voice breaking towards the end of his sentence, causing Seungcheol to feel a sentimental tear in his chest.

Why Jeonghan would sound so hopeless over just the notion that him and Seungcheol could be soulmates, Seungcheol still had yet to understand.

Did soulmates really mean all that to Jeonghan?

Did Jeonghan really think he wasn't good enough to find someone by being himself that he had to rely on destiny to choose for him?

Jeonghan was so much more than, so much better than Seungcheol.

Did he not understand that for himself?

"But I care for you. Can we please discuss this? I know I've probably experienced the same things you have."

Seungcheol encouraged, trying to diffuse the situation.

He really did have a deep feeling of empathy and affection for the latter.

In this moment Seungcheol wanted to do nothing more than engulf Jeonghan in a hug and tell the sweet boy that he was absolutely infatuated with him.

But then again, Seungcheol was still Seungcheol: that awkward unsure kid afraid to act on his instincts.

No wonder Jeonghan thought Seungcheol didn't feel the same, because Seungcheol absolutely sucked at expressing his emotions, especially towards this lovely angel who has never wronged him.

"It's not the time or place. I'm really sorry you had to read that, Seungcheol."

"Hey, don't apologize-"

Before Seungcheol could finish his sentence, the bedroom door opened.

The two boys were met with Joshua, his widened eyes scanning over the two as if he could almost taste the tension in the room.

"Oh sorry did I interrupt something? We were just wondering if you guys were gonna come out and watch Netflix with us before dinner."

With no hesitation, Jeonghan shoved his journal back into his bookbag and stood up.

"Yeah, we will."

He spoke abruptly, rubbing his eyes and headed out of the room.

And Seungcheol, who still had yet to find a mind of his own, trailed along behind him.


	28. Chapter 28

Jeonghan sheltered himself between Seokmin and Soonyoung for a bit, Seungcheol staring at him from across the room.

It wasn't Seungcheol's fault.

Jeonghan got upset with himself.

Jeonghan was clearly so blinded by the long lost memories of a soulmate that he must've forgot the deep secrets he hid within his writing.

Minghao and Wonwoo were deciding on a Netflix movie to watch, leaving Seungcheol sat on the floor with Joshua.

"What happened in there?"

Joshua whispered inconspicuously, the chatter of the other boys making his voice barely audible.

"Why was Jeonghan acting all weird?"

He asked, looking over to the auburn-haired boy on the couch, his simper obvious between the two genuine smiles which whom he sat between.

Seungcheol felt guilty as he stared at Jeonghan, his slender cheeks still flushed pink.

Seungcheol sighed, trying to keep his reply short and sweet so Joshua's question didn't spiral out into a noticeable gossip.

"I found out he's my soulmate, and that he’s in love with me...But apparently I wasn't supposed to know yet."

Joshua's eyes widened at Seungcheol's casual but mumbled response.

Shouldn't Seungcheol be more excited?

Soulmates were a huge thing; it was finally the answer to his aged questions, a cure to all his traumas.

To be honest, Seungcheol didn't know why he wasn't more ecstatic either.

Jeonghan was the epitome of angelic, a glittery moon standing out in a sunken sky of dead stars.

But Seungcheol didn't want to get too thoughtful at the moment as the whole incident was a private matter.

Like Jeonghan said, there's a time and a place, and right here and now wasn't either.

And it seemed like Joshua knew better too, as he nodded in understanding to Seungcheol's ambiguous statement.

It felt awkward watching such a funny movie without Jeonghan right beside Seungcheol.

The constant laughter of the other boys seemed so unfitting without Jeonghan's smile accompanying it.

Occasionally, Seungcheol would look back and find Jeonghan giggling along with Soonyoung and Seokmin, just for his expression to fall a second later.

He seemed so stressed, and Seungcheol couldn't help but feel like it was his fault.

He knew out of common sense that Jeonghan could've known better than to let Seungcheol read all his journals like that, especially knowing the grand secret that his writing withheld.

But Seungcheol's empathetic side knew how innocent and darling sweet Jeonghan was.

He was too precious.

There was nothing he could do wrong. 

Jeonghan was just trying to find the key to unlock his heart, as was Seungcheol.

The more Seungcheol stared blankly into the TV, the more he thought to himself.

What would he do when he had alone time with Jeonghan again?

What would he say?

What _could_ he say?

Seungcheol didn't even know if he loved Jeonghan back, because he had never received enough love in his life to recognize the emotion.

By late afternoon, Soonyoung and Wonwoo had to leave for a personal event, and Seokmin later followed, saying he was visiting family later that night.

This left Minghao, Seungcheol, and Jeonghan to spend the night at Joshua's.

Joshua clearly had an interest in spending more time with Minghao, as lately they'd been hanging out together by themselves, and had grown very touchy at these little gatherings.

If Joshua could just spend the rest of the evening with Minghao, that would leave Seungcheol and Jeonghan alone.

Maybe they'd have time to discuss the whole thing.

Maybe Seungcheol could find out why Jeonghan was so emotional.

Maybe Seungcheol could discover his soulmate.


	29. Chapter 29

By evening time, Joshua was in the kitchen preparing dinner for the guests, leaving Minghao, Seungcheol, and Jeonghan together in the living room.

There was still awkward tension between Jeonghan and Seungcheol, and if it weren't for Minghao's lively presence, the atmosphere would be as still as ice.

Seungcheol was conflicted; the only reason he really came over was to talk with Jeonghan again, to go over the soulmate thing.

Seungcheol could be at home with his mother who was moving to the other side of the world in a few days, but no, he was sitting here exasperated and bewildered over how he and Jeonghan would make amends over something so minuscule, something that might not even be real.

Clearly the soulmate prophecy meant a lot more to Jeonghan than it did to Seungcheol.

Was Jeonghan really so hopeless that he had to rely on fate to bring him a life companion?

If anything, Jeonghan was perfect; anyone would fall in love with him in the blink of an eye.

Seungcheol remembered the last time they slept over, just the two of them and Joshua.

How they managed to squeeze together on the couch, how Jeonghan laid his head on Seungcheol's chest, how Jeonghan looked up to him in awe with the most wholesome smile on his face.

Seungcheol remembers exactly how they held hands that night, how they petted each other's hair, how they talked about some of the most ridiculous things before falling asleep in their shared embrace.

Who knew two people with a bond that close would be sitting in the same room right now, unable to meet eyes?

It was evident Jeonghan felt humiliated.

And Seungcheol felt so bad.

But, if Jeonghan really was his soulmate, if Jeonghan really was in love with him, it would almost be a miracle.

Seungcheol was internally still that dreamless child standing at his bathroom mirror trying to communicate with someone that he never meet.

But Seungcheol needed to realize, he did meet that individual.

He was always in such denial, disbelief; if only he could get out of his own mind.

Joshua served dinner and sat beside Minghao, as expected.

The four boys managed to spark conversation despite Jeonghan's unwillingness to look Seungcheol in the eyes.

If Jeonghan was truly Seungcheol's soulmate, Seungcheol would give him everything in the world.

Those moments where they had laid together close, held hands, spoke with admiration; the possibility that Seungcheol could have more of those made his heart melt.

But Jeonghan was ashamed, and it made Seungcheol's heart race in anxiousness for the end of the night where the two could have some alone time again.

Seungcheol still didn't understand.

Was it the fact that they were soulmates, or the way that Seungcheol found out?

But again, all these questions could only be answered when the two could talk it out.

As the group finished up dinner, Seungcheol noticed that Joshua and Jeonghan had been exchanging evident glances, as if they needed to talk.

After reading Jeonghan's journal, Seungcheol knew that Joshua was the person Jeonghan went to regarding his initial feelings for Seungcheol and the whole soulmate agenda in general.

It was just then where Minghao offered to make cupcakes for dessert.

"That's a great idea. Seungcheol, why don't you help Minghao in the kitchen?"

Joshua replied, smiling bright towards Seungcheol as Jeonghan inched towards him.

Being polite, Seungcheol did, even if he didn't know Minghao that well, it was always pleasant to make closer bonds.

"So Seungcheol," Minghao began, digging through the kitchen cupboards for ingredients, "how did you and Joshua meet?"

"It was in middle school, I think. I didn't have that many friends at the time, and he was a new foreign exchange student. I think we just kinda migrated to a group and that's where everything began."

Seungcheol responded, digging through various cooking trays.

As much as he wanted to eavesdrop in on whatever Jeonghan and Joshua could be going on about, he already felt guilty enough, and figured some things are better to be kept private.

"What about you?"

"Ah, he was in my ethnomusicology course. The lecture room was packed and I ended up sitting next to him. I struggled with how messy the professor's writing on the board was so taking notes and deciphering his Korean was hard, but Joshua offered to help me during and after class. We've been friends ever since."

"I've noticed you two are pretty close," Seungcheol observed, setting out some measuring cups.

"Yeah, he's such a gentleman," Minghao smiled to himself as he set a bag of flour on the counter.

"Sometimes after class if he isn't busy, I'll come over and we'll cook or play video games until we pass out. He's always been super sweet."

The way Minghao spoke about Joshua like he was infatuated with him sounded and felt so familiar.

"Sounds like you're in love with him," Seungcheol joked, setting the oven's temperature.

"Hey, I wouldn't be saying anything if I were you. I've seen you and Jeonghan."

Minghao laughed, pouring some ingredients into a bowl.

"Speaking of which, you two are besties right? Why have you been so quiet with each other this afternoon?"

So it was evident that the chemistry between the two was off.

Minghao- whom which Seungcheol and Jeonghan had only hung out with several times- even _he_ could tell that something wasn't right.

"Honestly if I knew, Minghao, I would tell you," Seungcheol sighed as Minghao stirred the batter.

"Well hey, don't worry about it! Maybe you guys just need some sugar. I'm sure by the end of the night you two will be all up on each other again," he reassured, poking a spot of flour onto the tip of Seungcheol's nose.

Minghao was so hopeful, just like Joshua.

No wonder they matched together perfectly.

Seungcheol did hope what Minghao said would happen.

With all the emotions running through his head right now, the only thing Seungcheol needed was Jeonghan.


	30. Chapter 30

Seungcheol found it so unfair that Minghao's graceful hands could frost a few dozen small vanilla cakes so easily, while he struggled on trying to neatly place a simple spiral on just one. 

Jeonghan would be so much better at this than Seungcheol, as he was more delicate and cautious with all of his actions.

But Seungcheol wasn't dumb, he knew that Joshua offered Seungcheol to bake with Minghao so Jeonghan could spill all his drama privately to Joshua. 

Seungcheol thought there must've been so many things about Jeonghan that he didn't know. 

And these constant thoughts were probably why Seungcheol remained stuck on stickily applying icing to a single cupcake, because he couldn't focus on the task at hand. 

"Alright, you think we're ready to bring these out to the others?"

Minghao asked, dishing out the cupcakes onto platters that he pulled out from a bottom cupboard.

It seemed like Minghao knew where everything was in Joshua's house, as if the two have had alone time together often despite being friends with Joshua for a shorter time than Seungcheol.

Seungcheol then realized, he's never hung out with Jeonghan without another person being there as well.

He wondered how much more he could've gotten to know Jeonghan if they were together one-on-one.

He wondered if the cuddles they shared on Joshua's couch last week could've occurred again and again.

"Sure. At least yours look nice," Seungcheol replied, chuckling with Minghao.

The two then came out to the living room, each with a plate of cupcakes in their hands.

Jeonghan and Joshua were on the couch, Jeonghan's head on Joshua's shoulder, Joshua's hand calmly stroking the latter's auburn hair.

They were having mumbled conversation, words barely audible over the volume of the TV.

Jeonghan's eyes were exhausted, clearly finding a source of comfort in Joshua's presence.

Who knew this whole thing could stress Jeonghan out so much?

It seemed like so much more had occurred in just this one day than the entirety of how long Seungcheol and Jeonghan had known each other.

"Hope you guys like them. We tried our best."

Minghao grinned, placing the cupcakes on the coffee table.

Everyone dug in, new conversation igniting as the sugar surged through their veins.

Jeonghan was smiling too and engaging in chatter as the icing stuck to his fingers and mouth.

Seungcheol knew this cupcake would've been so much sweeter if he were instead tasting the frosting that was upon Jeonghan's pretty peachy lips.

The sugar high didn't last long however, as the minute the plates were empty, everyone's eyes grew heavy.

No one was energetic enough to play a video game or tell scary conspiracies, so they resorted to watching a new Netflix show until they'd get tired.

They never situated where everyone would sleep, but Seungcheol immediately assumed that Joshua and Minghao would be partnered.

It would be so awkward to be alone with Jeonghan yet again, to lay together on the same couch that they had last shared a tender embrace.

But that awkwardness is what Seungcheol needed to get through to the latter, however he still wasn't sure whether it was the time or place to do so yet.

The whole soulmate thing- no matter how confusing it was- was clearly a sensitive issue, and there was only so much Seungcheol could do with his lack of knowledge.

Minghao and Joshua shared the couch while Seungcheol and Jeonghan sat on the floor with an obvious gap between them.

Seungcheol didn't even watch the TV.

He stared at Jeonghan through his peripheral vision the entire time the show ran on, watching his pretty eyes blink heavily, his glowing cheeks swollen soft from the sugar.

Seungcheol just wanted to hold him again, massage his hair, caress his face, put the whole soulmate thing behind them.

Because although it had been a short amount of time, it seemed like day by day he craved Jeonghan's presence more and more.

By a bit past midnight, Seungcheol felt shifting on the couch behind him.

Joshua had stood up and taken a sleeping Minghao into his arms bridal style, carrying the Chinese boy's skinny body with little effort. 

"I think it's time for me and Hao to go to bed. You guys can sleep wherever you want. Sleeping bags are in the closet in my room if you need them. Goodnight."

Joshua whispered, a soft smile visible on his face from the light of the TV. 

The air suddenly grew a million times heavier, the silence in the room so thick the volume of the show couldn't even cut through it.

"So, do you want the couch? I can go on the floor," Jeonghan spoke up, breaking the awkward silence.

His voice was so tender, and although it had only been a few hours, Seungcheol felt like he hasn't heard his voice in years.

"No, it's fine. You can stay here, I'll find somewhere else," Seungcheol offered, afraid of making Jeonghan uncomfortable. 

"Cheol," Jeonghan said in an even smaller voice, fiddling with his hands in his lap.

"Can we forget all about this, just for tonight?"

Seungcheol sighed in relief, knowing that Jeonghan felt the same way about the whole situation as he did. 

Jeonghan patted the space on the couch next to him, a shy smile on his face.

Seungcheol joined Jeonghan, the two doing what they did last week and crammed together beside each other to fit.

Jeonghan laid his head on Seungcheol's broad chest, delicate fingers tracing small circles along his sternum.

"I know you wanna talk, but can we do it on our own time?"

Jeonghan asked, looking up at Seungcheol with big twinkling eyes.

"You don't hate me, right?"

"I could never hate you, Jeonghan."

Seungcheol met eyes again with the latter, petting his auburn hair.

With that, Jeonghan nuzzled against Seungcheol, Seungcheol laying his free hand atop of Jeonghan's.

There was so much to be said, but no words were needed.

No matter what they were, they had each other.

The soulmates thing would just be a bonus.


	31. Chapter 31

As much as Seungcheol was absolutely infatuated within this moment, he couldn't help but feel a little stiff.

How was he supposed to react to the boy that wouldn't even look him in the eyes just a few moments ago, cuddling up against him like nothing happened?

Seungcheol didn't want to admit that it bothered him.

"Cheol, are you alright?"

Jeonghan's tender voice emerged from next to him, his delicate fingers tapping on Seungcheol's chest.

"I can tell that you're tense. Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"No, you're not at all. I'm sorry."

Seungcheol simply replied, petting Jeonghan's hair unconsciously.

"Why are you apologizing? You did nothing wrong."

Seungcheol somehow felt that the temporary distance between them was his fault. 

He didn't _have_ to read that part of Jeonghan's old journal out loud.

But then again, it was Jeonghan that asked him to do it in the first place.

Seungcheol's mind was so muddled.

Why was he falling so head over heels for someone who may or may not even be his soulmate?

Jeonghan seemed so certain in his writing, but so shy in person.

"I know you don't wanna talk about this now..." Seungcheol replied in a smaller voice, averting eye contact with the boy looking up at him.

There was a pause, as if Jeonghan was thinking of how to respond.

Seungcheol hated himself for being so awkward.

How an angel like Jeonghan could possibly be in love with him, he didn't know.

"It's not your fault," Jeonghan spoke, taking a hold of Seungcheol's larger hand and interlacing their fingers.

Seungcheol finally grew the courage to look down and meet eyes with him.

Jeonghan was so pretty.

Even through the dark night, his irises twinkled, his lips were pink, his cheeks were shiny. 

His features were just as delicate as they were the first time Seungcheol laid eyes upon him at the coffee shop years ago. 

Which reminded Seungcheol, look how far they got.

From feeling sparks the minute their fingers accidentally touched the first time Seungcheol gave Jeonghan a drink, to now being enveloped in each others' arms.

"The only reason I don't wanna talk about this is because of Josh and Minghao being here. I feel like we'd need to be alone."

Seungcheol moved his hand from behind Jeonghan's head to tuck a piece of his auburn hair behind his ear, barely caressing his cheek in the process.

Seungcheol couldn't see it, but his own eyes were huge and his cheeks were pink.

He was in love.

He was in love and it hurt.

It hurt because Seungcheol was so confused, but so enamored at the same time.

He wasn't sure how to handle to new emotion.

"I understand," Seungcheol returned, his gaze falling from Jeonghan's beautiful eyes down to his velvety lips.

He knew the both of them were nothing but friends at the moment, and until they discussed the whole soulmate issue, that's when they could be something more. 

Seungcheol didn't want to wait, but at the same time, knew better than to rush anything.

He didn't need the title of "lover" to enjoy holding Jeonghan in his embrace.

"Let's take our minds off of it, yeah? So what's been going on at home?"

Jeonghan was so brilliant, always knew how to smoothly change the topic.

"Well, my mom came home. But in a few days she's leaving to work abroad in the United States. I've been with her the whole week."

"Well why are you here instead of being with her? You know Josh would've understood if you had to cancel or leave early."

Yes Seungcheol did feel a bit guilty leaving his mother alone at home, but she gave him permission to follow through with his plans and he knew she was getting the rest she needed.

"She said I should be here. I'll still be with her the next few days anyways. Also," Seungcheol's voice slowed, running his thumb along Jeonghan's smooth knuckles. 

"I missed you."

He finished, never taking his eyes off of the angel clinging to him. 

"Seungcheol, don't tease," Jeonghan turned his head down, smiling shyly to himself.

"I'm not I swear. We texted all week and I was really excited to hang out again. Especially if it meant being like this..."

His voice trailed off towards the end of his sentence.

Seungcheol didn't know what emotion overcame him to be so bold and direct, but it was making Jeonghan blush, which was the cutest thing ever.

"I missed you too," a quiet reply came from the sweet boy in Seungcheol's arms.

Everything about Jeonghan was sugar-coated, and Seungcheol had a sweet tooth.

His voice like honey, his eyes like chocolate, his smile like candy.

Seungcheol could only imagine if Jeonghan's lips tasted as sweet as the pink berries they emulated.

He knew one day he'd have to get that opportunity.

Jeonghan hugged Seungcheol tighter, nuzzling his lean body against his.

It was then where Seungcheol felt a quick soft press upon his jaw.

Jeonghan had planted a chaste kiss against Seungcheol's skin, causing Seungcheol heart to race so quickly that he was sure Jeonghan could feel it.

Jeonghan clearly felt the latter's pounding heart and giggled, laying his head back down on Seungcheol's broad chest.

"Goodnight Seungcheol," he whispered, closing his eyes while listening to Seungcheol's heartbeat.

Seungcheol, still flustered, managed to calm himself enough to reply with a 'goodnight' back, running his fingers through Jeonghan's auburn hair to coax him to sleep.

This was much more than brotherly skinship at this point.

Seungcheol's heart pounded so quickly that it ached.

He wasn't sure on what to do or how to feel about this.

What were him and Jeonghan even supposed to be?

But Seungcheol shut up his overthinking for the night, as he wanted to embrace the situation he had found himself in already.

He didn't know if they were going to wake up just as awkwardly as they had behaved this prior afternoon, but that was honestly the last thing Seungcheol was thinking about.

This was now the second time Seungcheol had fallen asleep with a smile on his face, and no wonder, it was due to the angel whom he shared an embrace with.


	32. Chapter 32

A few days had passed since the sleepover at Joshua's house, and Seungcheol had finally returned home very early in the morning from dropping his mother off at the airport.

He was feeling lonelier than usual, and the only thing that was really keeping him company were text messages from Jeonghan and Joshua.

Even back in his miserable days as a child, the one thing he had was his mom at home, and as much as he failed to admit it, that gave him a sense of comfort.

Going back to the house and not finding his mom's belongings, or entering her bedroom to find no trace of her there really put Seungcheol down.

Despite how often he didn't see her in his older years, it was still relieving to know that he had a loved one with him.

Seungcheol never realized how empty the house was until now.

Even with his mom's constant work, seeing the little things in the house- like a hairbrush or a briefcase- that belonged to her gave Seungcheol somewhat assurance.

But Seungcheol was always at work or at Joshua's house, and felt regretful that he didn't- no couldn't- spend more time with her. 

He knew he had Joshua who would be there for him no matter what, and Jeonghan who was warming up to him, but it just didn't feel the same.

He felt like that solemn child he used to be.

He couldn't rely on Joshua his whole life, as his best friend had a bright future ahead of him and he knew he was probably burdensome to him.

As for Jeonghan, there were still some tensions, and they had yet to speak about the whole soulmate thing.

If Jeonghan knew how hopeless Seungcheol truly was, there was no way he'd even consider him being his soulmate, let alone falling in love with him.

Seungcheol knew Joshua had been texting him all morning, but he didn't bother to respond.

He knew he was being a bad friend, and Joshua was just trying to fill the empty void that had been hidden within Seungcheol for so long.

He couldn't just ignore Joshua, as now that the coffee shop was open again, he was bound to see him in the afternoon for work.

Seungcheol felt a different kind of awful.

Awful for knowing he should reply to Joshua's messages.

Awful for knowing he should've amended things with Jeonghan by now.

Awful for knowing he could've spent more time with his mother before she had to leave.

The overwhelming feeling put such a pit in Seungcheol's stomach that he didn't even want to try.

The bad habits that he has spent years breaking, he was falling right back into again. 

As much as he wanted to sit in bed all day and grieve to himself, he knew he had to go to work.

After all, this was _his_ house now.

As he changed into his work button-up and black bottoms, he stared at himself in the mirror.

He ignored how tired he looked, probably from waking up at an ungodly hour in the morning to take his mom to the airport.

He could care less about his messy hair or his sunken expression.

He was more focused on how this was the same mirror he would stare at for unnecessary amounts of time trying to discover his soulmate.

All the time he spent in here as a child, he could've spent with his mother.

He wasted all those hours for something that still could've just been a figment of his imagination. 

Seungcheol wanted to damn his childish memory for being infatuated with all the wrong things.

It wasn't until Seungcheol couldn't see himself in the mirror anymore that he realized he was crying.

The hot tears in his eyes clouded his vision, but he couldn't care less to wipe them away.

He had spent enough time in here thinking, and if he wanted to get to work on time, he needed to get going quickly.

He grabbed his keys and phone, still ignoring the evident notifications from his texts, and left the house.

He was already falling behind a few minutes due to his own pity party, so he kept his head down and picked up his pace, disregarding his blurry vision.

He already had pretty much a week and a half off of work, so his manager would find it inexcusable for Seungcheol to be late by any means.

Seungcheol did find some relief when he arrived at the shop just as his shift was supposed to start.

But it was still unlike him; he was usually there and ready to work probably 10 minutes before he actually had to clock in.

That's why his manager found him reliable.

Seungcheol just thought he was disappointing so many people already.

His co-worker at the cash register greeted him as he entered.

Seungcheol was glad he was going to be making drinks in the back, as he certainly didn't look nor feel personable enough to be welcoming countless customers.

Seungcheol was hoping this attitude of his would subside before Joshua came in for his shift.

In the mean time, he had to think of an excuse as to why he didn't answer his best friend's texts.

He also prayed Jeonghan wouldn't come in today, as he would per usual at the same time every day whether to actually order something, or just to talk with Joshua or Seungcheol.

Seungcheol denied any thought that maybe seeing Jeonghan or speaking with Joshua could help subside the distress within himself.

He wanted to claim his head was clouded with thoughts, but frankly, it was empty.

It had been so long since Seungcheol's mind had been blank that he didn't know how to cope with it.

Seungcheol just wanted to feel better, and hopefully feel better fast before he makes a fool out of himself in front of his best friends.


	33. Chapter 33

Seungcheol got to momentarily take his mind off of the emptiness inside himself as he focused on making drinks for some regular customers.

He was just going through the motions, no thoughts really in his head at this moment, and that was good for him.

Work was one of the places where he could be comfortable without even having to think.

Seungcheol couldn't exactly pinpoint on why he was distressed.

He missed his mom, he was ignoring his best friend, and he had yet to fix a complicated relationship.

Seungcheol caught a glimpse of himself in one of the metal pitchers he had just cleaned.

Once was there a time where Seungcheol looked forward to seeing his reflection, but those days were long gone.

Seungcheol grew more disappointed in analyzing his features.

He looked like- how does one say- a wreck.

His hair was tangled in sloppy curls, he was more pale than usual, and he couldn't muster up a smile.

His eyes had since softened a bit from crying, but they began to well up again once Seungcheol processed how much of a mess he was.

He felt so weak, so sensitive over nothing.

He was just about to break down again right then and there, but immediately stopped himself when an order was placed in that he had to make.

If he couldn't please himself, at least he could please customers.

He had been at work long enough for Joshua's morning classes to be done.

Seungcheol knew he had to get himself together before Joshua came to work.

His best friend was the most compassionate person he knew, and whenever Seungcheol was remotely down, Joshua was like his saving grace.

But Seungcheol knew Joshua had too much other business going on in his life to be busy dealing with Seungcheol's emotions.

He barely got to wipe away his fresh tears before Joshua came in just after noon.

"Hey Cheol," he greeted in his sweet welcoming voice.

Seungcheol pretended he was cleaning the counter to avoid eye contact with Joshua as much as possible.

He hated other people feeling responsible for his problems.

"Hi Josh. How was school?"

Seungcheol asked like it was every other day, but was still blinking back tears behind his thick bangs.

"It was the usual. My second lecture went a little longer than usual though. To be honest, I kinda missed being here at work. It's good to be back."

Joshua replied, taking over the register from the other employee.

"Bulk of customers come in yet?"

Joshua asked, counting the dollars in the register.

"Yeah, around 11:00. Don't expect many more to come in until 2, like usual."

Seungcheol tried his best to keep his voice from wavering, but Joshua sensed things like a hawk.

"You good Cheol? You've been at that spot for a while now."

Seungcheol sighed and kept his head down, trudging to Joshua at the register.

He slouched, propping his elbows up on the front counter and resting his chin in his palms.

"It's been a tough morning. Sorry for not texting you back by the way. I had a lot going on."

"Not a problem," Joshua replied, placing his hand on Seungcheol's shoulder, patting him reassuringly.

Seungcheol wanted to damn Joshua for being so overwhelmingly sweet.

"Is it because of your mom?"

"Yes, and so many other things."

"Like what? There's no customers, you can tell me."

And so, Seungcheol tried his best to open up not too dramatically.

He told Joshua how he felt about his mother leaving, about his incomplete relationship with Jeonghan, about how he felt like such a bad friend.

Seungcheol wished he could say the tears didn't fall but he managed to let a few discreetly slip from his eyes.

"Are you sure you can work today? You didn't sleep, plus you have too much on your mind."

There goes Joshua again being so considerate and kind it made Seungcheol's chest hurt.

"I've made it this far along, haven't I?"

Seungcheol stood up straight and pulled his hair away from his eyes, revealing the shiny streaks of tear tracks down his cheeks.

Joshua's expression read sympathetic as he cupped Seungcheol's face and wiped away his tears with his thumbs.

"Hey, if you can stick it out for the rest of our shifts, you can come over! If you're ever not feeling well, let me know. Manager can dismiss you early."

Seungcheol nodded, feeling much safer and more content now that his best friend was here with him.

He hated to admit it, but he was so reliant on Joshua that it was humiliating.

Despite how much Seungcheol has stepped out of his comfort zone in his adult life, he would always be that one shy kid overly dependent on his best friend.

Just when Seungcheol's sniffles died down and Joshua got him smiling again, a customer entered.

A very familiar customer with silky auburn hair and angelic facial features.

Jeonghan entered with a grin, a grin that caused Seungcheol's heart to tear.


	34. Chapter 34

Seungcheol couldn't stop his emotions from pouring out, as much as he wanted to.

The minute his eyes locked with Jeonghan's, something inside his chest just sunk for whatever reason.

The tears that Joshua had finally got Seungcheol to subside had come back again.

Seeing Jeonghan in person just reminded Seungcheol of all the stress he had to deal with.

Him and Jeonghan were still close and kept in contact over the phone often, but every time he encountered him in person, it was something different.

It was like- no, it _was_ \- seeing the love his life that he couldn't yet reach.

Seungcheol felt himself crumble, posture collapsing against the front counter as he hid his face in his hands.

He was so embarrassing letting his emotions get the better of him like this, especially at work.

Who knew love could be so upsetting?

He knew Jeonghan loved him, he knew they had to be soulmates, so why Seungcheol was so overwhelmed over this, he didn't know.

It was just another addition to his life that required him to actually be his own person.

So many things and sudden emotions were being thrown at Seungcheol left and right, and he was such a wreck because he never knew how to cope with these things.

Is this how Jeonghan felt when Seungcheol read that one part in his journal?

Indeed Jeonghan grew flustered, but surely Seungcheol was more dramatic.

Seungcheol felt Joshua's reassuring embrace, his arm wrapped around him and his other hand petting Seungcheol's hair.

"Seungcheol? Are you okay?"

Jeonghan asked, quickly approaching the counter, and Seungcheol could hear the concern in his voice. 

To think that Jeonghan still cared so much despite Seungcheol's inability to do so, it struck another pain in Seungcheol's chest.

Seungcheol- as much as he wanted to- couldn't respond to Jeonghan.

It sucked because he owed Jeonghan so many answers; it wasn't fair.

"He's had a tough morning," Joshua's tender voice replied, rubbing Seungcheol's shoulder reassuringly.

Seungcheol felt so ashamed.

Not only could he not get a hold of himself, but feeling his best friend take care of him and his possible soulmate worry for him caused an uncontrollable pain in his heart.

Crying like this in front of Jeonghan was just so humiliating.

He never wanted Jeonghan to see how weak and vulnerable he truly was.

If he did, he was afraid he'd lose him, that Jeonghan would fall out of love, that he would give up on caring for someone so pitiful.

And if things couldn't get worse, another voice emerged in the room, embarrassing Seungcheol even further.

"Shua, Seungcheol, is everything okay? What's going on?"

It was their manager.

Their manager who always saw Seungcheol giddy and smiley even in the early hours of the morning was now watching him have a mental breakdown at the register.

Instantly, Seungcheol straightened himself out.

Although he unfortunately couldn't stop his tears from falling, he managed to choke out a response.

"I'm fine, Manager. I'm sorry for making a scene."

He couldn't even look his manager in the eyes.

Seungcheol wanted to curl up within himself and get away from all this humiliation.

He felt another reassuring touch on his shoulder.

"Calm down, son. Take the rest of the day off, okay? I'll allow it."

The fact that Joshua, Jeonghan, and even his manager were all being so considerate made Seungcheol feel unworthy. 

He didn't deserve this comfort.

He could've gotten over himself long before he became a spectacle.

Seungcheol wanted to oppose and keep working, but his manager was right.

He needed a mental break.

Seungcheol bowed in thanks, Joshua patting his back.

"Do you need a ride? I'm not gonna let you walk home like this," Joshua asked.

Seungcheol was just about to shake his head no before another voice spoke out.

"Don't worry about it, Josh. I'll take him home."

Seungcheol finally removed his eyes from the ground and saw that it was Jeonghan making the suggestion.

Seungcheol could never say no to the angel, despite how much he hated Jeonghan seeing him so upset.

"Are you okay with that, Cheol?"

Joshua inquired, walking Seungcheol around the counter to stand next to Jeonghan.

Seungcheol nodded, wiping his eyes.

"Okay, feel better. I'll text you."

Joshua hugged Seungcheol before sending him off with Jeonghan. 

As the two exited the shop, Seungcheol couldn't even look at Jeonghan without feeling guilty.

They still needed to talk about what they were, if they were even going to be anything.

Seungcheol owed Jeonghan that conversation, but his mind couldn't come up with any words to pacify the situation.

Seungcheol didn't even know where Jeonghan parked or what his car looked like, so he followed the latter's footsteps while keeping his head glued to the ground.

It was then when Seungcheol suddenly felt delicate fingers intertwine with his.

A sudden burst of comfort erupted in Seungcheol's chest, and he raised his head to see Jeonghan beside him, looking into his eyes and giving an empathetic smile.

The soft, consoling feel of Jeonghan holding his hand provided Seungcheol enough relief to give Jeonghan a half-hearted grin back.

The truth was, Seungcheol had been feeling quite lost lately.

And as hopeless as he had been, in this moment he knew there was going to be an escape from his problems.

It may take a while to reach there, but he had this one sense of a wish that he would feel better soon.


	35. Chapter 35

Seungcheol, again, felt shame within himself as Jeonghan drove him home.

Seungcheol kept his eyes in his lap.

So many people have gone out of their way for him lately, and it made Seungcheol feel like his mere existence was pitiful.

He felt Jeonghan's gaze on him every time they approached a stoplight, but Seungcheol kept his head down.

He already embarrassed himself enough.

When they finally arrived at Seungcheol's house, Seungcheol finally raised his head, taking in a glimpse of his reflection in the rear view mirror.

God, he was a mess.

Jeonghan had his hair nicely parted, light makeup done upon his already gorgeous face, and was dressed in comfortable pastels- also known as, the complete opposite of how Seungcheol looked.

It was then where Seungcheol realized he was finally alone with Jeonghan.

No Joshua, no other friends in between them.

Seungcheol still said nothing as Jeonghan took his arm and escorted him to the front door.

As much of a wreck Seungcheol was, he needed to talk with Jeonghan.

Removing some of the weight off of his shoulders would be enough to completely change his mood.

"Are you busy right now, Jeonghan?"

Seungcheol finally spoke up, his throat a bit sore from crying.

"No, why?"

Jeonghan replied, delicate fingers running down alongside Seungcheol's forearm as the latter unlocked his door.

"Can we talk? Please, come in."

Jeonghan nodded, entering Seungcheol's house.

Seungcheol never realized how empty his home was until he wasn't in it alone again.

His house was quite plain, and Seungcheol was blessed that his mom helped him tidy up the place before she left.

The two took their seats on Seungcheol's living room couch, which- unlike Joshua's- was quite stiff from hardly being used as Seungcheol was rarely home these days.

Seungcheol sighed, staring down at his hands yet again.

It simply felt horrible that he couldn't look Jeonghan in the eyes, especially in a conversation as crucial as this was going to be.

"First, thank you for driving me home. I appreciate it. I'm really sorry you had to see me like this."

Jeonghan took one of Seungcheol's large hands in his, causing Seungcheol to look up at him.

He had a calming, gentle smile, almost as gentle as his fingers in which Seungcheol's were intertwined with.

"No need to apologize. All that matters is that you're gonna be okay."

Jeonghan always found a way to warm Seungcheol's heart.

Seungcheol briefly explained that his mom moved out of the country for work, which was the primary reason he was upset.

"And, something else I wanna bring up too," Seungcheol stammered, gaze scanning from Jeonghan's pretty eyes to the pretty hand holding his.

"The soulmates thing."

Seungcheol finally stated.

Just addressing those words took a huge pressure off of his chest.

“I'm going to be honest. When I first starting seeing someone in my reflection, I thought I was going insane. It was still hard to believe even when Josh explained what it meant. When I met you in the shop the first few times, ya know, back when your hair was super long, you always had some sort of familiarity to you, but I didn't know if I knew you from somewhere."

Recollecting on the memories felt so odd yet rejuvenating.

"And I already explained at Josh's the rest of the how the reflection disappeared. I started understanding it more when we had the whole group together talking about myths and legends and all that."

Seungcheol grinned at the thought, and returned his gaze to Jeonghan, who was listening intently.

"That first night when we had a sleepover with the whole group, when you told me your experience between just the two of us, it sounds stupid but I believed in soulmates a lot more since then."

Seungcheol really couldn't believe his jumbled mind was actually finding a proper explanation for his feelings.

"I know I probably wasn't supposed to find out we were soulmates right then and there reading your journal. And I still feel bad that we couldn't go over this sooner. But I've been really thinking about it lately."

Seungcheol paused, squeezing Jeonghan's hand in anxiousness.

He didn't know whether the pink on Jeonghan's cheeks was from his makeup or him blushing.

"I know I've had feelings towards you that are different than anything I've felt before. Which is why I'm kinda scared of these feelings, but if destiny thinks it's okay then it must be, right?"

Jeonghan nodded, his eyes wide, clearly anticipating what Seungcheol was going to say.

"Basically, so I can stop talking because I'm sure I've been going on long enough, to keep this simple and least cheesy as possible..."

Seungcheol honestly couldn't believe that he was actually professing his feelings to Jeonghan, this angel, his soulmate.

Why was he so anxious when he knew Jeonghan felt the same?

He was so nervous his palms were shaking in Jeonghan's hands.

"Regardless if soulmates are real or not, I know we have something special. I really really like you Jeonghan, and I want to be with you."


	36. Chapter 36

"Really?"

Jeonghan asked, almost in disbelief.

Didn't Seungcheol make it evident enough that he had feelings towards Jeonghan?

Why was Jeonghan surprised that Seungcheol liked him too; is that not what soulmates were supposed to feel?

Seungcheol nodded, feeling himself tremble in nervousness.

He couldn't believe he just got that off of his chest.

It was nerve racking, but oddly exhilarating.

Jeonghan's expression contorted into a bright smile.

"Cheol," he barely spoke before pulling Seungcheol into a hug.

Seungcheol thought he was seeing stars and his arms naturally wrapped around Jeonghan's slim waist, returning the embrace.

He buried his face into Jeonghan's neck, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

His insides felt so light and it seemed like every bit of stress haunting Seungcheol completely disappeared. 

"Why are you shaking?" Jeonghan asked in a giggly tone, holding Seungcheol tighter.

"Sorry. I was just so scared to say that," Seungcheol replied, trying to calm his nerves by inhaling Jeonghan's sweet scent.

"Why? You know I liked you too."

Jeonghan said, slightly pulling away from Seungcheol to meet eyes.

"I know which is why- wait Jeonghan, are you crying?"

The angelic boy's eyes were glassy, a few tear streaks down his blushed cheeks.

He even cried pretty.

Seungcheol wasn't the most comforting person, so he tried to think of what others had done to cheer him up, and then do that to comfort Jeonghan.

"No, no, don't cry please," Seungcheol cooed, cupping Jeonghan's face and wiping the tears away from his velvety skin.

He felt Jeonghan melt into his touch, a similar action to whenever they cuddled together on Joshua's couch.

"It's okay. I'm fine. I'm just really really happy."

Jeonghan smiled, sniffling. 

"I'm not a sensitive person, but I've just been waiting for so long to find my soulmate."

Jeonghan caressed Seungcheol's cheek, chuckling.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Seungcheol replied, a cute toothy grin growing on his face. 

Jeonghan pulled Seungcheol into a tight hug again, one arm wrapped around his shoulders, one of his hands petting Seungcheol's messy hair.

The two remained in the embrace for a lingering moment, simply taking in the presence of each other, processing the euphoria they were feeling.

"So, what do we do now?" Jeonghan asked, meeting eyes with Seungcheol yet again.

"I don't know. I've never been in a relationship before," Seungcheol replied.

At this point, Jeonghan was practically in his lap due to their eager hug, but Seungcheol wasn't complaining.

Something felt right about having the auburn-haired boy's legs bestriding him, and Seungcheol's strong arms secure around the latter's waist.

Seungcheol realized that in this moment he had never been so close to Jeonghan before.

He could analyze every feature on Jeonghan's gorgeous face so clearly now that they were almost nose-to-nose. 

Seungcheol could count every single one of Jeonghan's long eyelashes, could see every hue of Jeonghan's perfectly-applied eye shadow.

It wasn't until they were this close that Seungcheol could actually tell how smooth Jeonghan's lips were.

They were so pink, so soft looking, so supple, so _pretty_.

If Jeonghan's voice alone was like dripping honey, Seungcheol couldn't even to begin to imagine how sweet those pretty lips must taste.

Seungcheol snapped out of his thoughts, realizing how stupid and zoned out he must've looked just staring at Jeonghan's lovely mouth.

But when his gaze rose up to meet Jeonghan's, it seemed like Jeonghan was in the same state he was in: looking down at Seungcheol's with dilated eyes.

Seungcheol had never kissed anyone before, believe it or not.

He was too much of a low-life as a child and teenager that he couldn't bother finding someone who'd bother to kiss him.

Seungcheol figured he watched enough movies and cheesy Netflix b-sides to know what to do, but this moment was too perfect, and it made Seungcheol a bit timid.

Alas, Jeonghan's stare met with Seungcheol's, his dazzling eyes igniting a fire in Seungcheol's chest.

With their linked eye contact, it seemed like they had a whole conversation in their minds without physically having to utter one word.

Jeonghan lowered his head, face so close to Seungcheol's, his arms wrapped around the latter's shoulders almost going limp.

Seungcheol shut his eyes, knowing exactly what was going to happen, but not knowing at all at the same time. 

Before he knew it, a soft connection was met with Seungcheol's plump lips.

There was no explanation for what Seungcheol was feeling in that moment.

There were no words to be able to describe the elation coursing through Seungcheol's body.

No thoughts could be brought up in Seungcheol's mind; the only thing controlling him were his lips subconsciously following Jeonghan's.

Jeonghan tasted as sweet as candy- just as Seungcheol thought- and Seungcheol couldn't get enough.

One soft kiss after another, Seungcheol wanted more and more, but at the same time wanted to bask in the moment.

His arms seemed to pull Jeonghan even closer to him than he already was, and Jeonghan's dainty hands became entangled in Seungcheol's hair.

This kiss was like the seal of their relationship.

Seungcheol didn't know what he was expecting to feel, but whatever he was feeling right now was perfect.

He felt safe.

Seungcheol had been lost all of his life, but in this moment he felt found, protected, like the evils of the world couldn't lay a finger on him anymore.


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi slight warning: this chapter contains making out
> 
> thank you!

Seungcheol simply could not get enough of his new lover. 

Somehow his pleading kisses and needy pouts for Jeonghan to stay with him convinced the latter to decide to spend the night.

It was only afternoon so the new couple had plenty of time to spend together. 

Seungcheol changed out of his work clothes and into something comfortable.

He also lent Jeonghan a shirt and sweats so he wouldn't have to stay in his expensive cashmere sweater and skinny jeans all day long.

Seungcheol's clothes ran big on Jeonghan, but he was so fond of it.

The way the shirt would regularly be more snug on Seungcheol's broad figure, it was instead large and flowy on Jeonghan's lean body.

He made Seungcheol's dark boring clothes look so pretty.

 _Everything_ about Jeonghan was just so so pretty. 

"So what do you wanna do?" Jeonghan asked as the two exited Seungcheol's bedroom from changing clothes.

"Not sure, I never thought I'd get this far," Seungcheol chuckled, earning a smile from the auburn-haired boy.

"Have you eaten yet?" Jeonghan asked.

"No, have you?"

"Only breakfast."

"Well let's go and figure something out to eat."

The two entered the kitchen, and Seungcheol was so grateful his mom helped him restock on groceries before she left.

Seungcheol was out of the house so often that he usually ate at Joshua's house or went out to eat with him, so there was rarely anything more than a few snacks in the cupboards of Seungcheol's kitchen.

It would have been so embarrassing to open an empty refrigerator or pantry with Jeonghan here. 

"I know how to make an awesome ramen if you'd like. My own recipe."

Jeonghan offered. 

What was up with Seungcheol's friends and always wanting to do things for him?

"You're so kind. But are you sure you wanna cook? You are my guest, after all."

"It's no problem-" Jeonghan said, grabbing two packets of ramen from the cupboard, "-shouldn't I be allowed to do something for my boyfriend?"

Seungcheol's heart skipped a beat.

He couldn't believe he didn't process before that he was Jeonghan's _boyfriend_.

He finally earned that title. 

Jeonghan acknowledged the newly formed blush on Seungcheol's cheeks.

He chuckled, running his hand through his smooth auburn hair.

Who was Seungcheol to deny his Jeonghan of anything?

"Alright, but then I owe you a favor in return."

"It's okay. You being my soulmate is all I need."

Jeonghan replied, placing a pot on the stove.

Since when did he get so bold with his words?

Seungcheol's smile only grew bigger.

He was so blessed with his lover being the sweetest person on the planet.

"You're so nice," Seungcheol murmured, wrapping Jeonghan in a backhug as the latter filled the pot with water.

"And you're so cute," Jeonghan replied, setting the pot down on the stove to boil and turning around to face Seungcheol, wrapping his arms around his neck.

It seemed like they both gave into the urge to kiss again.

Who could blame them?

Seungcheol had only experienced the feeling of kissing for the first time today, and well, he was addicted.

Not just kissing though, kissing _Jeonghan_

Jeonghan's lips were soft and supple and just moved so effortlessly against Seungcheol's.

They didn't even have to think when they kissed at this point.

Seungcheol tightened his hold around Jeonghan's waist when he felt the latter's lips part against his.

Seungcheol felt himself sinking deeper and deeper, clinging onto the euphoria that Jeonghan made him feel.

Seungcheol wasn't much taller than him, but feeling Jeonghan's small waist and embracing his thin frame made Seungcheol feel bigger, stronger, like he wanted to do nothing but protect this angel.

Before he knew it, he felt a new texture press just beyond his lips.

It took a minute to process that it was Jeonghan's _tongue_.

His heart dropped to his stomach and he didn't know whether to freak out or relish in the moment.

This was the type of kiss Seungcheol had only seen in movies.

He was instantly intrigued and slowly mimicked Jeonghan's motions, surprisingly getting the hang of it quickly.

The kiss was so deep, so soft, so new, and Seungcheol adored it.

As Seungcheol was usually stupidly awkward at most times, he was glad that he wasn't right now, otherwise that'd be insanely embarrassing. 

Seungcheol didn't just love the kiss because it felt good, he loved it because it was Jeonghan that was doing these actions with him.

Jeonghan tasted so sweet and his mouth was so pliant; he was letting out pretty little hums into the kiss that sent pleasing vibrations chilling through Seungcheol's body.

Despite his trembly nervous hands on Jeonghan's waist, a comforting warmth surged throughout Seungcheol and he never wanted to detach from his lover.

The two were eventually interrupted by the water boiling on the stove, which reminded them that they were actually doing a task and not just randomly making out.

They separated just enough to not leave the embrace, but allowed themselves to meet eyes.

Jeonghan's lips were shiny and pink, almost as rosy as the blush coating both of the two's cheeks.

Who knew Seungcheol had that kind of audacity?

Instantly, they started laughing, knowing how funny that serious kiss contrasted with their usual light-hearted behavior. 

Jeonghan's smile was brighter than sunshine itself.

"Okay I should cook now. Don't get too carried away, Cheol," Jeonghan teased.

Seungcheol momentarily covered his face with his hands; his usual demeanor was nothing like how he acted when they kissed.

"Sorry, I've never-"

Jeonghan cut Seungcheol off with a quick peck on the lips, grinning as he pulled away.

"It's so cute how you get all shy. And you're a great kisser, don't worry."

Jeonghan giggled before searching through one of the cupboards, scanning over various spices that Seungcheol's mother bought.

Seungcheol's smile seemed glued to his face.

He still couldn't believe how he got so lucky.

Jeonghan was like an angel on Earth. 

An angel that was made to save Seungcheol.


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> disclaimer: there is some more making out in this chapter~

After enjoying lunch and spending a few moments together engaging in small talk, the two boys were at a loss for what activity to do next.

Seungcheol didn't exactly prepare anything interesting.

After all, he didn't expect to discover his soulmate and get a boyfriend all within the span of a few minutes of an emotional breakdown.

"So what do you wanna do now?" Seungcheol asked, his arm around Jeonghan as they sat on the couch together.

"Whatever you wanna do," Jeonghan replied.

Seungcheol didn't have a TV- he never did growing up- and never had enough time at home to put one to use anyways.

They couldn't play video games or watch a show.

He had his phone and an old laptop that was a hand-me-down of Joshua's stuck under his bed that he hadn't opened in years.

Seungcheol thought his life was so boring compared to the intriguing wonders of Joshua's.

It just showed how much Seungcheol lived life outside of the confines of his home that he didn't have anything remotely interesting to do within his own space.

"I don't exactly have much around here," Seungcheol said, afraid of boring his lovely boyfriend.

"It's okay-" Jeonghan responded, laying his head on Seungcheol's shoulder, "-all I need is you and I'm fine."

Seungcheol smiled, ruffling Jeonghan's hair.

"Since when did you turn into such a romantic?" Seungcheol chuckled.

"Since I met you."

The comment caused Seungcheol to blush and Jeonghan to giggle at his reaction. 

"Well if you want we can go to my room and watch videos on our phones," Seungcheol suggested.

Jeonghan nodded in response, and thus Seungcheol led Jeonghan to his bedroom.

Seungcheol was extra thankful for his mom at this moment, as when they spent the time together tidying up the house before she left, they cleaned up Seungcheol's room and made his bed.

It would've been incredibly embarrassing for Jeonghan having to see the wreck of a life Seungcheol actually lived.

Although Seungcheol lacked some homely luxuries, he did have quite a sizable mattress, providing more than enough room for him and Jeonghan to lay down together.

As Seungcheol put on some YouTube video on his phone, Jeonghan scooted closer to him, snuggling against him like he usually did. 

Jeonghan rested his head on Seungcheol's shoulder, his hand placed upon Seungcheol's stomach.

Seungcheol wrapped an arm around the latter; they had cuddled so much at this point that it felt natural. 

Every so often as the video went on, Jeonghan would rub Seungcheol's tummy and place a kiss on his cheek or jaw, earning a chuckle from him as a response. 

It was by the fifth or sixth peck that Seungcheol realized Jeonghan wasn't paying attention to the video at all, as when he looked down at the auburn-haired boy, he saw him looking straight back up at him, not at the phone.

Jeonghan smiled and placed a chaste kiss on Seungcheol's lips.

"What are you doing?" Seungcheol asked, a smile bright on his face.

"What? Am I not allowed to kiss my boyfriend?"

Seungcheol's grin only seemed to grow.

He felt so safe with Jeonghan here, and every time Jeonghan called him his boyfriend, it just made Seungcheol melt even more.

"Of course you are," Seungcheol replied, capturing Jeonghan's lips in an innocent kiss.

Delicate kisses followed by sweet giggles in between only lasted for so long.

Eventually Seungcheol set his phone down and pulled Jeonghan into a deeper kiss, slowly but surely getting more comfortable with his newfound skills. 

The two slowly shifted to where Seungcheol was hovering above Jeonghan as he kissed him, his body settled between Jeonghan's legs, one hand pressed into the pillow beside Jeonghan's head, the other cupping his face.

Seungcheol remembered seeing some movies where the couples kissed like this, and he never expected to be actually doing it himself.

He thought it was just a drama thing that was only done in Hollywood production style romance movies.

But this didn't feel forced; honestly Seungcheol didn't even know he was in this position until he felt himself above his boyfriend.

The two continued their kiss as Jeonghan's hands found their way into Seungcheol's hair.

Neither of them could get enough of each other. 

They kissed just like how they did in the kitchen earlier, not even having to think.

Soulmates didn't even have to have a single thought in their head around each other.

Jeonghan took control of Seungcheol's pliant lips, carefully slipping his tongue into Seungcheol's mouth, gaining a shudder from the latter.

Seungcheol again followed Jeonghan's actions, knowing that he was still new at kissing and wanted to do everything to please his boyfriend.

Seungcheol definitely kissed more shyly than Jeonghan did, however there was no battle for dominance, no rush to kiss roughly.

They were simply enjoying each other's presence, engulfed in each other's taste.

Seungcheol felt his heartbeat race a mile a minute as Jeonghan gently tugged his hair, the angelic boy near panting in between kisses.

Jeonghan was cautious, never sloppy, even though his tongue was moving so perfectly against Seungcheol's, even though Jeonghan gave Seungcheol complete control over him and he didn't know it.

Seungcheol pulled away for a brief moment to catch his breath, the butterflies inside him almost being too much.

His eyes met with Jeonghan's, and Seungcheol physically had to bite down on his lip in order to prevent his jaw from dropping.

Jeonghan's lips were parted, shiny and pink and contrasting against his fair skin, his eyelids heavy, his chest rising and falling softly.

Jeonghan's head was caged between Seungcheol's arms, his legs spread to accommodate Seungcheol's body between them. 

He looked so vulnerable, irresistible.

Seeing his precious angel beneath him like this sent a new flurry of sparks into Seungcheol's chest.

Seungcheol wanted to do nothing but protect Jeonghan just like Jeonghan had been protecting him for so long.

Jeonghan started laughing, like they usually did after sharing such a moment that was so unlike their usual selves.

Seungcheol returned the gesture, smiling as he leaned back down to capture Jeonghan's lips in an innocent kiss this time.

However their lips barely got to reach other before Seungcheol's phone rang.


	39. Chapter 39

The two boys separated so Seungcheol could answer his phone, both of them mildly disappointed that their kisses had to come to a halt.

Seungcheol picked up his phone and looked at the contact.

It was Joshua. 

"Hey what's up," Seungcheol greeted, hoping this conversation wouldn't take too long as he didn't want to keep Jeonghan waiting. 

"Hi Cheol, how ya feeling? Did you get home safe?"

"I'm feeling so much better. And yeah, I'm home. I'm actually hanging out with Jeonghan."

"Alright cool. Just making sure everything's good. I'll text you when my shift is done. See you."

"Okay. Bye."

Seungcheol hung up and turned his attention back to Jeonghan who was twiddling with his hands. 

"Sorry, it was Josh."

Seungcheol apologized for the interruption, moving back into the bed and laying down beside his lover, facing him.

"I'm aware. What did he say?"

"He was just checking up on me to make sure I'm okay."

"Oh, alright."

Jeonghan cupped Seungcheol's face.

"I'm glad you're feeling better. I'd hate to see you upset again."

Jeonghan pouted, squishing Seungcheol's cheeks, earning a giggle from the latter.

"Trust me, as long as you're with me, I'll never be upset again."

Now it was Seungcheol's turn for a cheesy romantic comeback, and the blush that rose upon Jeonghan's face as a response made it all the worthwhile.

And thus, the two showered each other with affection: infinite hugs, hundreds of soft kisses, and longing cuddles. 

It was like their hearts were welded to each other, and they couldn't separate even if they wanted to.

Seungcheol didn't exactly understand the overwhelming feelings of adoration that he was experiencing, but he loved every little bit of it.

Seungcheol had fireworks in his heart, and Jeonghan was the one who ignited them. 

In this time they spent together, Seungcheol's house got a lot less boring. 

Jeonghan was so lively that he could bring energy to something as deadpan as the atmosphere of Seungcheol's home. 

Late afternoon rolled around quicker than expected.

Time does go faster when you're deeply invested in something.

And for Seungcheol, Jeonghan was the only thing on his mind. 

They only left the bedroom to share a simple dinner, but once they finished that, there were countless options of activities they could engage in next. 

"So what should we do?" Seungcheol asked as they finished putting away their dishes.

"I feel like we ask this question too many times," Jeonghan chuckled.

"I'm sorry. I'm not an interesting person."

The minute Seungcheol said that, Jeonghan grabbed Seungcheol by the wrist and pulled him close.

Seungcheol's was surprised by the sudden action but felt elated when Jeonghan leaned in and placed a kiss on his lips.

"Don't ever say that. You're an awesome person, Cheol."

Seungcheol smiled at the compliment, and thanked Jeonghan by pressing his lips against his yet again.

He could never get enough over how soft Jeonghan's lips were, how feathery and gentle every kiss they shared was. 

Every kiss resulted in laughing, sweet smiles, and an even closer connection every time they did so.

When the two pulled away, giggling together as always, they went into the living room and sat on the couch.

Everywhere they sat or laid together, they somehow found a way to stay close or cuddle.

"I have Netflix on my phone. We can finish the movie we were watching at Josh's," Jeonghan suggested, to which Seungcheol agreed to.

As much as Seungcheol wanted to say he was paying attention to the movie, he wasn't at all.

He was merely focused on Jeonghan's presence beside him, analyzing his delicate features every time he reacted to the scene in any way.

Seungcheol kept an arm around the latter's shoulders, hoping he could make Jeonghan feel as safe as Jeonghan had made him.

Jeonghan was so beautiful, so perfect.

He was the light in Seungcheol's life, and Seungcheol was eternally grateful.

Seungcheol's thoughts were whirring wild, processing his feelings, deciphering what he could say, predicting how their relationship would develop in the future.

As the movie played along with a cheesy confession scene, Seungcheol finally realized what he was meant to do.

Who knew a tacky romantic comedy would be the answer to solving the infinite questions running in Seungcheol's head?

"Jeonghan," Seungcheol started, moving his full attention to his lover.

"Hm?" 

Jeonghan took his eyes off of the phone screen and faced Seungcheol.

Seungcheol took a deep breath.

If he was going to say what he think was going to say, then he should get it over with.

Seungcheol didn't know if it was too soon, or if this was bad timing, but perhaps expressing this would justify the affection imploding from within his heart.

"I love you."


	40. Chapter 40

The two were perfect for each other in every way.

Whether Jeonghan was dolled up for a day out or chilling on Seungcheol's couch with no makeup and pajamas, every inch of him was utterly flawless.

The kisses they shared were always special, sweet and giggly, to sleepy and lazy, to intimate and repetitive that would leave their lips swollen until morning.

Every countless kiss was priceless in its own.

The endless sayings of "I love you" had followed suit ever since Seungcheol said those three words first.

Any moment the two were together, praises of affection and showers of love would follow.

They went to each other's houses all the time and Jeonghan frequently visited the coffee shop while Seungcheol worked.

Seungcheol eventually met Jeonghan's parents, who although were initially surprised to find their son dating a boy, were glad that Jeonghan found his soulmate.

Jeonghan's family ended up considering Seungcheol as part of their own.

The two even called Seungcheol's mother in the United States.

Seungcheol frequently reached out to her, but was first scared to tell her about his relationship.

However she was very happy and accepting, and was proud that her son found a new love.

There was only so much the two could say about their relationship to their best friend Joshua.

He was incredibly happy for them and ultimately supportive.

As time went by, Joshua did eventually have to resign from his job at the coffee shop as he had transferred to a university out of town.

That used to be Seungcheol's biggest fear: Joshua leaving him. 

But now that Seungcheol had Jeonghan, he never felt lonely.

Although it was different not having his best friend by his side all the time, Seungcheol always called and texted Joshua whenever he could.

After all, if it wasn't for Joshua, Seungcheol would have never known what a soulmate was, and possibly would've never fallen in love with Jeonghan.

Seungcheol was initially concerned about Joshua being alone, but when he found out that Minghao transferred alongside him and that the two were now roommates, his worries were eased.

Joshua and Minghao seemed to know how to take care of each other based on the interactions Seungcheol had seen between them, so he trusted that his best friend would be okay.

As for being with Jeonghan, it seemed in like the years they spent together, they've never had a dull moment.

From pillow fights to hair dying to cuddling, the two had yet to get sick of each other's company.

They've done so much together, and it seemed like every day was a new adventure.

Everyday Seungcheol thanked any possible supernatural entity for making Jeonghan his soulmate.

Jeonghan brought color and vibrancy to Seungcheol's boring life.

He bettered Seungcheol as a person.

Seungcheol would never get enough of hugging Jeonghan, of kissing Jeonghan, of seeing Jeonghan, of Jeonghan in general. 

Jeonghan's embraces were always so warm and nourishing.

Whether they were simply holding each other while watching a movie, or pressing heated bodies together during times against the sheets, every grasp, every clutch, every cradle was so important. 

The two explored through many things: new hair colors, new places to go out, new activities to do at home. 

Seungcheol also bought some luxuries, with the help of Jeonghan of course.

He finally got a television, a computer, and a new phone with some the money he had been accumulating over the years.

Until the day where Seungcheol and Jeonghan would move in together, there was no need for Seungcheol to get a new house at the moment.

The two loved to go shopping, and it always warmed Seungcheol's heart seeing the smile on Jeonghan's face when he got to pick his boyfriend's outfits.

The couple felt nothing but love towards each other.

Today was their 3 year anniversary.

They had already celebrated with a fancy dinner date, and had returned to Seungcheol's house for the night.

Seungcheol's favorite part of the day was always getting into comfy pajamas and cuddling Jeonghan towards the end of the evening.

Jeonghan was effortlessly gorgeous even when he was wearing Seungcheol's big clothes and was taking off his makeup. 

Seungcheol always made it known too.

He constantly complimented Jeonghan, always earning a shy 'thank you' or a bashful 'stop' in return.

They made their way to Seungcheol's bed to get some sleep together.

As they laid down, they quickly huddled into an embrace.

Seungcheol could still smell the flowery perfume lingering off of Jeonghan's collar, could still see some residing specks of glitter from Jeonghan's eyeshadow remaining on his eyelids.

He was so perfect, and every day Seungcheol thought to himself on how could have he gotten so lucky.

"I love you," Jeonghan spoke, his voice so tender.

Jeonghan placed a kiss on Seungcheol's jaw, which he made evident many times that it was his favorite place to kiss.

"I love you too."

Seungcheol naturally responded, turning his head down and pecking Jeonghan's lips that were still stained pink from his lipstick.

"3 years huh?"

Jeonghan addressed, nuzzling against his boyfriend.

"I know. I can't believe it's been that long."

Seungcheol replied, petting Jeonghan's black hair that he freshly dyed just a few days before.

"I wish you could've known we were soulmates sooner. I still regret that I didn't say anything until you read my journal," Jeonghan brought up.

"Hey, how we got together happened for a reason. Whether we confessed sooner or later, we still would've ended up dating. We're soulmates, after all."

"You know, just 'cause people are soulmates doesn't mean they have to be in love. I looked that up a while ago," Jeonghan mentioned.

"Well then I just got so lucky to have you, because there's no way I couldn't fall for you."

Seungcheol had gotten comfortable with cheesy romantic conversations over the years.

The two always knew how to make each other blush.

"Same here. First time I saw you at the shop, I was shy because you were so handsome."

"How could you think I was handsome? I had a baby face," Seungcheol chuckled.

"And you still do," Jeonghan replied, pinching his boyfriend's cheek.

After giggling for a bit, the two resettled into a comfortable hug, no space at all between them.

"I love you so much," Jeonghan said, his voice delicate enough to not even cut the air.

"And I love you too," Seungcheol responded, his tone equally as gentle.

"I'm so glad you're my soulmate."

"Me too. I don't know what I could do without you."

Maybe the countless times Seungcheol checked his reflection as a kid was worth it.

Although he scorned himself for wasting precious time, it was just a step closer to recognizing his soulmate.

Seungcheol faced ups and downs of hating the mirror in which he stared through, desperately trying to connect with the boy on the other side.

Who knew that the boy in his reflection could be settled right here in his arms?

Seungcheol used to think that he was so pitiful to be relying on destiny to decide the fate of his meaningless life. 

Now, he thanks this karma for blessing him with someone for whom he grew to absolutely love.

Seungcheol was no longer hopeless, helpless, diminished, for Jeonghan had revitalized him and had seemed to save him from his personal doom.

Seungcheol thanked fate.

Seungcheol thanked fortune.

And most of all, Seungcheol thanked his reflection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end! Thank you guys so much for enjoying the story and I absolutely love the positive feedback. Please stay tuned for more stories to come!


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